Victorian Partnership for Advanced Computing

eResearch is...
The method of conducting research through distributed global and local collaborations that are generally cross-disciplinary, and supported by specialized ICT systems and software. In some areas of the world it is referenced as eScience, and in the United States as CyberInfrastructure.

eResearch is...
A way of doing research and a way of collaborating, not the technologies that enable it.
It enables sciences such as experimental high-energy physics and astronomy, that rely on massive, shared scientific instruments; and other sciences such as genetics or meteorology that rely on access to huge databases of globally acquired data.

It is increasingly driven by global collaboration, including sharing large databases; customised web portals; and development of community-owned software, data, and numerical models.

e-Research is not...
The use of high performance computing (HPC) or grid computing, although this is a common misconception. Although HPC and grid computing are among an increasing number of tools used in eResearch projects, eResearch is a far broader service.

eResearch is also not “web candy” such as glitzy websites and flashy graphics, nor is it simply using email or clever presentations to communicate.

The following diagram from a paper on eResearch by VPAC explains the difference between eResearch and traditional research.

Leadership

A reality is that the "easy" problems have been solved and the next research problems are harder and require larger and more diverse multidisciplinary teams to tackle them.
Identifying and taking maximum advantage of ICT can be onerous because of the rapid advances with collaborative tools, as well as equipment.

This is embodied within eResearch that enables geographically diverse groups to work as if they were together through teleconferencing and videoconferencing, by providing instantaneous information exchanges, by providing access to remote databases and experimental instrumentation, and by the computational approaches made ever more important through high performance computer modeling and analysis.

There is also increasing interest from humanities and social sciences for tools that can simply collaborative research projects in areas such as linguistic databases and health informatics, as well as common tools such as videoconferencing and national data storage fabrics and data cataloging.

Government and Business have also adapted “e” on an increasing scale, including eResearch, along common themes of collaboration, data sharing and real-time online access to products and services.

VPAC has been at the forefront of eResearch since 2004, when we published a special edition of our newsletter on the subject. Prof. Bill Appelbe, our CEO and senior scientist, is an internationally recognised figure as a speaker as well as attendee at related conferences.

One of the major factors in VPAC’s success has been our ability to provide eResearch services, HPC resources, and computational sciences expertise in an all but unique in the world, comprehensive and agile framework that combines the benefits of an academically founded organisation with a commercially viable operating and business plan.