Research infrastructure encompasses specialized resources that are required to support high-performance computing, large data sets, simulation and visualization required by researchers. Research infrastructure includes a variety of technologies and services, including:

• Supercomputers, computer clusters, and grid computing
• Data storage
• Networking
• Specialized software

Information Technology provides a robust datacenter for support and management of the university’s servers, data storage, and communications equipment. However, this infrastructure must be expanded to meet the university’s goal of becoming a preeminent metropolitan research university. The Medical Bioinformatics and Computational Biology initiative alone will require a significant investment in new infrastructure to provide data storage for the massive databases and sufficient computing power to drive the mathematical modeling and data mining that are essential to the research effort.

It is essential that research computing be in alignment with the vision of key funding agencies such as the National Science Foundation. NSF’s “Cyberinfrastructure Vision for 21st Century Discovery” states, “At the heart of the cyberinfrastructure vision is the development of a cultural community that supports peer-to-peer collaboration and new modes of education based upon broad and open access to leadership computing; data and information resources; online instruments and observatories; and visualization and collaboration services.“

To attain this vision, the newest and most powerful computing resources and data storage technologies will be needed. In the future, it is expected that:

• virtualization and more mature grid technology will be used to make research resources more widely available
• hosted (outsourced) solutions for applications will continue to grow
• use of national network grids for computation and data base services will be needed
• better search engines and data mining technology will become available
• better simulation and visualization technology will be used

More resources and specialized expertise will be needed to support this growing area. In this plan, Information Technology goals must address the following needs:

• Make adequate information technology infrastructure available to support increased research output
• Develop research resources and capabilities with no barriers to participation to better serve faculty without grant funding
• Provide appropriate computational resources (clusters, supercomputers, grid computing) to match the computational needs of the discipline
• Develop technical expertise to support advanced computing systems
• Provide stable, secure, and cost effective long-term data storage for research data
• Make resources of national research networks and computational centers available to UofL researchers
• Provide research technology support, including consulting and software
• Develop the level of cyber-infrastructure required to support National Science Foundation grant activity
• Expand capabilities for simulation, data modeling, visualization, data mining and analysis for research
• Develop infrastructure to support the health and biomedical informatics initiatives of the Health Sciences
• Develop a win/win strategy for resource sharing that allows researchers to put computational resources on a grid for shared use in exchange for ongoing resources and support
• Explore grant opportunities to support or expand research computing resources at the university

IT Goal V: Develop high performance computing infrastructure

a. In cooperation with the research community, develop centralized computing, storage, and networking infrastructure for researchers. Computing resources are frequently available to only those researchers who receive grant funding. IT should work with the office of the VP of Research, deans and researchers to make high-performance computing, grid computing, centralized research data storage, and high-speed networking widely available for collaboration, building on the robust datacenter infrastructure that exists on the Belknap and HSC campuses.

b. Develop technology infrastructure and support for the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). Implementation of the CTSI is a key component of the university’s research strategy, and technology support will be essential to its success. IT should take a leadership role to ensure that proper technology is planned and implemented to support biomedical and health informatics.

c. Develop a program to support departmental research resources. Many researchers struggle with the requirements of supporting their research computing equipment, including providing power, cooling, systems administration, and technical support. The university has robust datacenter facilities that can be used to support researcher’s equipment. IT should develop an agreement (SLA) that makes it attractive for researchers to locate research computing equipment in the data center by providing needed support services at no cost. Some universities encourage the location of research computing equipment in the data center by providing free support services in exchange for putting the research equipment on a grid. This allows the university grid computing resource to be improved whenever new equipment is added in the datacenter.

IT Goal VI: Expand utilization of research networking

a. Expand UofL’s participation as a member of Internet2 and as an Internet2 connector. UofL has gained national visibility as a connector on the new Internet2 network. UofL should become an active participant in regional and national Internet2 collaboration, programs and development efforts.

b. Develop a Kentucky RON (Regional Optical Network). Kentucky is creating a “next generation” optical network as part of the Internet2 strategy to use regional optical networks to provide regional access. This network is critical for education and research in the state. UofL will partner with the state Council on Postsecondary Education and the University of Kentucky to establish the Kentucky RON.

c. Deploy high-speed networking to support researchers. High-speed networking to the desktop is an essential service for researchers. Those areas of the university that still lack this service must have their building wiring upgraded to accommodate higher-speed connections. Wireless networking should be expanded to cover research labs.

IT Goal VII: Expand research support services

a. Expand visual media services for researchers. IT offers media services such as biomedical photography, illustration, print and video services. These services can be used to document research progress and outcomes in the clinical or laboratory environment, for use in the classroom, and for professional presentation and academic publication in the national and international research communities. IT needs to expand awareness of these services in the university community.

b. Assist researchers with grant development. Technology can be an important element in grant requests by researchers. With the increased requirements for computing technology in grants, especially from National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health, IT should provide assistance in writing grants to ensure that appropriate technology is included.

c. Provide research consulting and support. Researchers can focus on the problems to be solved, and Information Technology can assist by providing consulting and support on the infrastructure and services that are available.

d. Expand efforts to engage UofL faculty in the use of Internet2. At UofL, faculty use of Internet2 is not widespread. IT should work with Internet2 to develop initiatives that educate the faculty on Internet2's potential, especially on unique applications such as point-to-point circuits, multi-point HD video, and national grid computing.