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Report of the Working Group on Virtual Research Communities for the OST e-Infrastructure Steering Group

Report of the Working Group on Virtual Research Communities for the OST e-Infrastructure Steering Group
Report of the Working Group on Virtual Research Communities for the OST e-Infrastructure Steering Group
Virtual Research Communities (VRC) are a new concept but early research suggests that they have the potential to open exciting new opportunities to collaborate in research and thus realise significant gains at institutional, national and international levels. International comparisons have revealed that the UK is well advanced in its understanding of the area and has the world’s best structured programme of developments under way. Further programmes to develop their full potential need to examine issues of human behaviour, the role of government and other policy makers and closer links with commercial organisations, as well as continuing to pursue development of technology and standards. Five inter-related programmes of work are recommended to maintain the UK’s leading position in this area, and retain our ability to carry out world-class research:
1.Establish a major programme of activities to understand the behavioural and social issues associated with greater take-up and transferability of developments in VRCs. The importance of reflecting the real needs, habits, preferences and aspirations of researchers themselves cannot be underestimated (see 6.1). 2.Continue and enhance current VRE development programmes to explore and understand concepts, techniques and their applications to e-Science and research, using opportunities for joint international programmes where possible (see 6.2). 3.Extend the e-framework activities of the JISC to encompass the full range of requirements of a VRC and establish whether a single, generic framework is possible or whether several, discipline-based frameworks are necessary (see 6.3) 4.Encourage greater cooperation between research and the commercial sector to ensure good practice in computer-based collaboration in business enterprises can be transferred into e-Science, to provide a vehicle for developing user-friendly commercial VRE applications and to enhance knowledge transfer activities (see 6.4). 5.Establish a task force to monitor developments in VRCs and similar activities in e-Science to recommend to government and funding organisations how policies and reward mechanisms can be shaped to promote take-up of opportunities, and to encourage the development of young researchers able to use the full capabilities of e-Science when they enter their field (see 6.5).
Office of Science and Technology
Borda, Ann
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Careless, Jason
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Dimitrova, Maia
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Fraser, Michael
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Frey, Jeremy
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Hubbard, Paul
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Goldstein, Stéphane
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Pung, Caroline
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Shoebridge, Michele
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Wiseman, Norman
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Office of Science and Technology, e-Infrastructure Steering Group
Borda, Ann
be8608dc-064c-4cbf-b204-977496a3f107
Careless, Jason
c2a0ddfe-a1f8-44f2-b955-f3f4a20a8084
Dimitrova, Maia
e1fbc129-77d1-4199-ae5f-f4a10d18ea43
Fraser, Michael
5e5cdba8-4f3d-4a93-8045-e75a9fda14cf
Frey, Jeremy
ba60c559-c4af-44f1-87e6-ce69819bf23f
Hubbard, Paul
dfb1c364-5be5-49b2-aff0-baa1f17f270a
Goldstein, Stéphane
ea5d567d-68fa-4910-85a5-35e989f7aa35
Pung, Caroline
1f0da454-f72e-49d7-8ff1-1636765f7c3e
Shoebridge, Michele
f45d9205-61c1-43ea-ae89-0cec3e9fe7ba
Wiseman, Norman
598b3906-1c58-4e82-b471-24cb2ff9b924

Borda, Ann, Careless, Jason, Dimitrova, Maia, Fraser, Michael, Frey, Jeremy, Hubbard, Paul, Goldstein, Stéphane, Pung, Caroline, Shoebridge, Michele and Wiseman, Norman , Office of Science and Technology, e-Infrastructure Steering Group (2006) Report of the Working Group on Virtual Research Communities for the OST e-Infrastructure Steering Group London, UK. Office of Science and Technology 46pp.

Record type: Monograph (Project Report)

Abstract

Virtual Research Communities (VRC) are a new concept but early research suggests that they have the potential to open exciting new opportunities to collaborate in research and thus realise significant gains at institutional, national and international levels. International comparisons have revealed that the UK is well advanced in its understanding of the area and has the world’s best structured programme of developments under way. Further programmes to develop their full potential need to examine issues of human behaviour, the role of government and other policy makers and closer links with commercial organisations, as well as continuing to pursue development of technology and standards. Five inter-related programmes of work are recommended to maintain the UK’s leading position in this area, and retain our ability to carry out world-class research:
1.Establish a major programme of activities to understand the behavioural and social issues associated with greater take-up and transferability of developments in VRCs. The importance of reflecting the real needs, habits, preferences and aspirations of researchers themselves cannot be underestimated (see 6.1). 2.Continue and enhance current VRE development programmes to explore and understand concepts, techniques and their applications to e-Science and research, using opportunities for joint international programmes where possible (see 6.2). 3.Extend the e-framework activities of the JISC to encompass the full range of requirements of a VRC and establish whether a single, generic framework is possible or whether several, discipline-based frameworks are necessary (see 6.3) 4.Encourage greater cooperation between research and the commercial sector to ensure good practice in computer-based collaboration in business enterprises can be transferred into e-Science, to provide a vehicle for developing user-friendly commercial VRE applications and to enhance knowledge transfer activities (see 6.4). 5.Establish a task force to monitor developments in VRCs and similar activities in e-Science to recommend to government and funding organisations how policies and reward mechanisms can be shaped to promote take-up of opportunities, and to encourage the development of young researchers able to use the full capabilities of e-Science when they enter their field (see 6.5).

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Published date: 2006
Additional Information: VRC final report

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 42074
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/42074
PURE UUID: e6f2a98c-10d2-4b47-95fa-4d490027ef5c
ORCID for Jeremy Frey: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-0842-4302

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 15 Nov 2006
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 02:34

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Contributors

Author: Ann Borda
Author: Jason Careless
Author: Maia Dimitrova
Author: Michael Fraser
Author: Jeremy Frey ORCID iD
Author: Paul Hubbard
Author: Stéphane Goldstein
Author: Caroline Pung
Author: Michele Shoebridge
Author: Norman Wiseman
Corporate Author: Office of Science and Technology, e-Infrastructure Steering Group

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