Supporting Further and Higher Education Joint Information Systems Committee JISC Strategies & Support of e-Science for Research Dr Malcolm Read JISC Executive Secretary

Supporting Further and Higher Education The JISC Mission is: to provide world class leadership in the innovative use of Information and Communication Technologies to support education and research.

Supporting Further and Higher Education JISC COMMITTEE STRUCTURE JISC Steering Committee (assessors) JISC* Audit Committee Nominations Committee Remuneration Committee JISC Sub-Committee Chairs* JISC Committee for Learning & Teaching (JCLT ) JISC Committee for Awareness, Liaison & Training (JCALT) JISC Committee for the Support of Research (JCSR)* JISC Committee for Networking (JCN)* JISC Committee for Information Environment (JCIE) JISC Committee for Content & Services (JCCS)* *Committee with RC representation

Supporting Further and Higher Education Budget

Supporting Further and Higher Education Strategic Aims To develop solutions to help the UK education and research communities use ICT innovatively to keep their activities world class. To provide support to institutions to enable them to use ICT innovatively, economically, efficiently and legally. To help the sector provide positive, personalised user experiences. To develop mutually advantageous relationships within the UK and abroad to lead ICT innovation. To advise and inform the strategies of government, funding councils and research councils and help implement them.

Supporting Further and Higher Education Priorities Maintain and develop a world class network and infrastructure for institutions Provide sustainable procurement and delivery services for online content Develop a common information and communications environment Create MLEs from VLEs & MIS Provide coherent, economical advice and guidance services to staff within institutions

Supporting Further and Higher Education Priorities Cont Improve information and feedback mechanism With Becta and the Academy help embed ICT Develop e-Research infrastructure Help institutions manage ICT investment Provide technology observatory Support widening participation Improve effectivness of JISC Partnership role

Supporting Further and Higher Education Current Status of Information Management Applications Content Meta Data & Delivery tools Finding / Access tools Authentication E-learning Digital libraries E-science Internet

Supporting Further and Higher Education How Far Can a Common Environment Go? Applications Content Meta Data & Delivery tools Finding / Access tools E-learning Digital librariesE-science Internet Authentication etc

Supporting Further and Higher Education JISC has historically supported research by: the continued provision of, and wide access to, a world leading network to support research funding an on-line information environment providing secure and convenient access to a comprehensive collection of scholarly material promoting innovation in the use of IT providing a focus for international collaboration in the exploitation of ICT

Supporting Further and Higher Education JCSR activities JCSR is funding projects relating to authentication, authorisation and accounting JCSR with EPSRC is funding projects relating to semantic grids and autonomic computing JCSR with ESRC is funding projects to train social scientists in the use of new e-research approaches

Supporting Further and Higher Education JCSR activities (Continued) JCSR with CCRLC is funding National Grid Service; four computing clusters to allow researchers to work in a safe Grid environment JCSR with e-Science Core Programme and JCCS is funding a Digital Curation Centre to provide advice and support on the preservation and re-use of digital material JCSR with AHRB is funding to train arts and humanities researchers in the use of innovative ICT approaches

Supporting Further and Higher Education JCSR activities (continued) JCSR with BBSRC and EPSRC is funding a UK Text Mining Centre to enable researchers to excavate richer seams of electronic material JCSR is funding three projects to demonstrate e-science in schools to capture the imagination of young students

Supporting Further and Higher Education JCSR membership JCSR membership is drawn from the Research Councils and AHRB (one member nominated by each Council) Learned societies Observers from relevant organsations (eg British Library, UKOLN)

Supporting Further and Higher Education UK Light HEFCE is investing £6.5 million in a UK initiative, known as UKLight, in the area of optical networking UKLight will enable the UK to participate in the next era of international network collaboration, based on a global integrated testbed. JCSR provides policy direction for UKLight, with operational support from UKERNA.

Supporting Further and Higher Education Virtual Research Environment HEFCE has allocated funding to JISC of £3.2 million to develop a Virtual Research Environment (VRE) VRE will be a set of services to support research processes underpinned by a standards-based framework VRE Working Group is developing proposal for JCSR approval