Transcript INSRV/ARCCA

IT Liaison to Enable Research:
Doing More With Less
Dr Chris Dickson
Senior Consultant – Research and Environmental Development
Cardiff University
[email protected]
Liaising With Researchers, UCISA Conference, Manchester, 20 January 2010
Who’s this guy?
2008-Present Senior Consultant –
Research and Environmental Development, Cardiff University
2005-2007
Programme Coordinator for the establishment of
Advanced Research Computing @ Cardiff (ARCCA)
(now a well-established team of 6.5 FTE)
2000-2004
Departmental IT Liaison Officer / Liaison and Strategy Officer
(this has been developed into a full, well-established IT Liaison
team of 6.5 FTE)
1993-2000
Academic and Commercial IT Support/Development roles
1993
PhD Astrophysics (does a research background help?)
www.cardiff.ac.uk/insrv/chris-dickson
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© copyright Chris Dickson, Cardiff University January 2010
Overview
 Benefits
 Tools and Value
 IT Research Liaison Role and Organisation at
Cardiff University
 Research Enabling IT Processes
 Some Key Challenges and Solutions
 Toolkit for Research Liaison
 Future
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© copyright Chris Dickson, Cardiff University January 2010
Benefits of
Better IT Research Support
 Research is the primary objective of many
Universities
 IT/Computing/Information Services is arguably a
University's most powerful tool.
 However, there is not always a strong
partnership between the research community
and the IT service provider.
 Huge opportunity
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© copyright Chris Dickson, Cardiff University January 2010
Benefits (2)
“IT Engagement in Research: A View of Medical School Practice”
(Albrecht et al) January 2008 (USA HE study)
 39 out of 49 surveyed medical schools experienced an increase in
computation-intensive research in last three years (HPC, filestore,
networking, online library services etc)
 Only 4 out of 44 have regular meetings to discuss IT needs for
research with senior decision makers
 Recommendation 1:
“Make IT support for research a major organisational imperative”
ECAR - Educause Center for Applied Research
www.educause.edu/ECAR/ITEngagementinResearchAViewofM/162442
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© copyright Chris Dickson, Cardiff University January 2010
Benefits (3)
 More and better research enabled by better research
support – business critical for your University
 High quality, frequent customer feedback for
relevant, highest priority/value IT services/needs
 Offer immediate solutions to user problems
 Enabling processes – Identify and support the activities
of researchers at every stage of the research cycle
 Cashflow – large fraction of University income is
specifically for research
 Shared solutions – avoiding duplication, better value for
money, economies of scale
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© copyright Chris Dickson, Cardiff University January 2010
Tools & Value
Solution?
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No clear problem to be solved
Didn’t ask the user?
Complicated to use
Not being used
Value for money?
Solution!
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Solving a problem
Asked the user
Easy to use
Being used – heavily
Value for money!
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Illustration from The Deeper Meaning of Liff, by Douglas Adams, John Lloyd & Bert Kitchen,
© Macmillan Publishers 1992
© copyright Chris Dickson, Cardiff University January 2010
IT Research Liaison Role at Cardiff
 IT Division within Information Services directorate
(merged IT – Library – Media Resources)
 Primarily mid- and low-range IT
 Bring the University's research community together with
the IT and information services they need to enable their
research.
 Working together with colleagues in

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IT
Library
Advanced Research Computing (ARCCA)
Administration (Research and Commercial, Planning, HR,…)
to provide joined-up research support to the University
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© copyright Chris Dickson, Cardiff University January 2010
Research
Enablement
Group/Lead
IT Schools Liaison Consultant
School/Department
Consultant 1
Biosciences
Medicine (joint with Julie Humphrys and Adrian Williams)
Dentistry
Biomedical & Life
Sciences
Consultant 2
Medicine (joint with Julie Humphrys and Adrian Williams)
Nursing and Midwifery
Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education
Healthcare Studies
Medicine (joint with Julie Humphrys and Adrian Williams)
Consultant 3
Optometry and Vision Sciences (joint with Julie Humphrys)
Pharmacy
Business
Computer Science
Consultant 4
Engineering
Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies
Research
Enablement
Chris
Dickson
Social Sciences
Architecture
English, Communication and Philosophy
European Studies
Humanities, Physical
and Social Sciences
and Engineering
History and Archaeology
Consultant 5
Lifelong Learning
Mathematics
Psychology
Religious and Theological Studies
Welsh
Chemistry
City & Regional Planning
Earth and Ocean Sciences
Consultant 6
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Law
Manufacturing Engineering Centre
Music
© copyrightPhysics
Chris&Dickson,
Astronomy Cardiff University January 2010
What are the Day to Day Tasks?
 Awareness of
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Research landscape (28 Schools/departments, interdisciplinarity, research
centres, contribute to developing INSRV’s role in supporting interdisciplinarity)
Major relevant research opportunities and bids
 Enhanced representation/communications/point of contact
 Projects – management and consultation
 Close relationship with the rest of IT liaison
and user engagement
 Joined up IT research enablement
between Information Services and ARCCA
 Partner with administration on
research support (Research and Commercial Division,
Grad Schools, HR,...)
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© copyright Chris Dickson, Cardiff University January 2010
Research Enabling IT Processes
Funding
Supporting Environment
I
N
S
R
V
Researchers
Research Projects
& Communities
Research
Outputs
Research
Impact
Library
IT Svc Desk
IT Dept.
Liaison
IT Resrch
Enablemnt
ARCCA
Rsch/Comrl
Planning
HR
Research
support
interface
Communication
& Collaboration Using:
Everything
that
Information
+ Partner
Services/IT
Universities
provides
that enables
research
Using:
Everything
that
Information
Services/IT
provides to
turn
Research
Outputs
into
Public/
Research
taxpayers/
Impact
academic
community
/REF/Govt
Estates
Depts &
Other Admin
IT can add value at every point in this cycle
© copyright Chris Dickson, Cardiff University January 2010
Some Key Challenges and Solutions
 Research Bids
 Technical feasibility, standards,
timescales/planning, income
 Size and scope of Research Community
 (Interdisciplinary) Research Centres
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© copyright Chris Dickson, Cardiff University January 2010
Research Bids
Old Style
Principal
Investigator
Consult
School(s)/
Dept(s)
Submit to
University
Submit to
Grant Body
Bid
Success
Bid
Failure
Consult
Again
New Style
Principal
Investigator
Consult
Information
Services/IT
Consult
School(s)/
Dept(s)
Consult
Information
Services/IT
Submit to
University
Submit to
Grant Body
Bid
Success
Bid
Failure
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© copyright Chris Dickson, Cardiff University January 2010
Research Bids (2)
 Build partnerships within University
 Take things slowly
 New procedures
 University process/recognition
 Checklist for user needs
 Service catalogue
 Refine process
 Increasing numbers of researchers are now talking to us
before they make a grant application
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© copyright Chris Dickson, Cardiff University January 2010
Size of Research Community (1)
 Huge user community - odds of 1000-1 !
 Huge intray
 Research enablement is embedded throughout Information
Services/IT (web, email, filestore etc), and University (REF,
Research Staff Concordat, Vitae Researcher Development
Framework,…)
 More IT/library projects are now explicitly for research support
(collaboration software, publications management,
supercomputing,…)
 Need to be informed of all of this and input into much of it
 Partnership and engagement with the IT “Back Office”
 Influence service delivery to give the best service to the
research community
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© copyright Chris Dickson, Cardiff University January 2010
“Lots of Hungry Researchers…”
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© copyright Chris Dickson, Cardiff University January 2010
Size of Research Community (2)
Do More With Less
 Share customer information and partnership with
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IT liaison/engagement/helpdesk
Library
Supercomputing
Internal Research Support Group/Committee?
University Support and Administration
 University committees/events: join them wisely (and
create them, if necessary) = maximum representation
 One meeting instead of 28, or 1000…
 Discuss user needs & service changes, offer solutions
 Input into University policies (staff development, Research
Excellence Framework (REF), interdisciplinary,…)
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© copyright Chris Dickson, Cardiff University January 2010
Size of Research Community (3)
Focus on “1-to-Many” Relationships
 Help to deliver solutions that help the many, not the few
 1 Hour can help 500 people instead of 1 person (but is
harder to measure) e.g.
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IT solutions to help the majority
Web site for researchers
Email list? Blog?
General advice to interdisciplinary
research centres, etc.
 See the world from the point of view
of a researcher
 Some common objectives, tasks and barriers
 Use your own local advantages/landscape
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© copyright Chris Dickson, Cardiff University January 2010
Interdisciplinary Research Centres
 Representation/engagement with IT
 Particular needs
 Internal communications
 Multidisciplinary centres in a singledisciplinary system
 Finance etc.
 Developing this now at Cardiff University
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© copyright Chris Dickson, Cardiff University January 2010
Toolkit for IT Research Liaison
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© copyright Chris Dickson, Cardiff University January 2010
Future?
 Interdisciplinary Research Centres
 How to partner better
 Measure the value added
 Recording and analysing customer needs
 “If we knew what it was we were doing, it
would not be called research, would it?”
Albert Einstein
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© copyright Chris Dickson, Cardiff University January 2010
Summary
 High-quality research is mission critical to UK HE (&R)
 IT/computing can make a huge difference to research
quality and success
 Do more to help research using limited resources
 Engage with researchers and partners to get widest
information/input
 Choose your forums and tasks wisely
 Influence (IT) service delivery
 Provide solutions to enable researchers
 Demonstrate value
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© copyright Chris Dickson, Cardiff University January 2010
Thank You
Dr Chris Dickson
[email protected]
www.cardiff.ac.uk/insrv/chris-dickson
Discussion list for IT liaison issues <[email protected]>
Discussion list for IT research liaison <[email protected]>
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© copyright Chris Dickson, Cardiff University January 2010