Teaming Up for Impact: Regional Collaborations for Research Computing and Data

Research is not a solo endeavor. Scientists, engineers, and educators understand that people working together results in more impactful research and education, and that high quality research and educational programs benefit from a rich support system. Research Computing and Data (RCD) collaborations are an essential element of that system. RCD centers are hubs of activity at research universities, government labs, and business research and development centers, providing infrastructure, resources, and expertise to support high-end computing, visualization, artificial intelligence, data analysis, simulation, and modeling. Because they are likely to be found at universities that conduct grant-funded research and offer doctoral programs, RCD centers often serve as learning labs for students in computational and data science disciplines. But in today’s world of competitive research, RCD centers, like the researchers they serve, need collaborators to win major grants and secure new funding streams.

Collaborations mean new sources of funds and new opportunities for innovative research, data storage, software tools, and applications, as well as training and consulting services. By bringing people with a wide range of skills and viewpoints together collaborations make meeting the requirements of government funding opportunities more feasible.

The intent of this paper is to share the benefits of RCD collaborations, particularly at the regional level. It shares the experiences of some collaborations and highlights the common elements people need to consider to make a regional collaboration work. By examining the current landscape, it offers guidelines to help people at RCD centers plan, secure funding, and implement regional collaborations.

DOI 10.13140/RG.2.2.22935.07846