Funding for Cyberinfrastructure What has worked at Minnesota? What doesn’t work? What are we doing to move forward?

University of Minnesota Large Big Ten campus 50,883 students on Twin Cities campus $2.8 billion annual operating budget $534 million sponsored grants and contracts Aggressive aspirational goal!

MSI (Minnesota Supercomputer Institute) In 1981, the University of Minnesota was the first U.S. University to acquire a supercomputer (a Cray-1) The Supercomputing Institute was created in 1984 $6.5 million dollar budget (merit based queued service) The Institute carries out long-range planning to ensure, as well as possible, that University spending in the high-performance computing area meets the requirements of faculty carrying out research in this area MSI is now moving to VP for Research There has been leadership change and a rethink about the future of MSI. Move to VP for Research and reaffirming a broad research support role

Central IT (OIT) Network is a “common good” Unified gig to the desk meshed 10 gig back bone BOREAS-Net 2100 mile owned optical network connecting to Chicago and Kansas City Chicago CIC fiber ring and OMNIPOP NLR/Internet 2 Had good luck funding SAN Storage for researchers past 3 years Start-up funding for server centralization utilizing virtualization New Data center plan to support traditional central IT plus research computing

University Library Expanding expertise including data collection and curation, data preservation and stewardship, Virtual organization tools The University Digital Conservancy is a venue for faculty to deposit copies of their works for long-term preservation and open access centralized, searchable access to institutional digital resources that would have traditionally gone to the University Archives Rich Media Services

Problems Limited collaboration between researchers Limited collaboration between research service providers (missed opportunities) Highly decentralized Security concerns abound Duplication of services

Our Heavy Reliance on Chargeback is a Detriment Central IT at one time was primarily a chargeback organization 80% chargeback 10 years ago Now only 20% chargeback Strategic and core services “common good services” should be centrally funded

What are we doing to move forward?

University of Minnesota Research Cyberinfrastructure Alliance “Partnering to align computing, human, and capital resources to better meet the research computing needs of a top research university”

Alliance VP for Information Technology - Sponsor VP for Research – Sponsor University of Minnesota Library - Sponsor Minnesota Supercomputer Institute Academic Health Center Center for Biomedical Research Informatics Institute of Technology Digital Technology Center College of Liberal Arts Research Computing Services

Cyberinfrastructure Executive Leadership We have a great exec partnership VP for Research + VP for Tech + U Librarian We try to speak with one voice We recognize that the faculty and the deans need to support us Listen, communicate, listen, communicate…

Input from Interviews with Faculty Need a layered approach to services Rationalized decentralized model Very large storage needs Little thought is being given to long term data preservation University does not exist in a vacuum Core technology and interfacing staff Again: ISO models don't work

Planned Outcomes Harness what we have, demonstrating that we have our act together, then formulate a unified strategy for new investment in addition cyberinfrastructure services Funding models (free good vs charge back) Networks, HPC, data centers, storage, software, library disciplines and service, collaboration tools Support strategies Virtual and real organization alignment that overcome structural barriers Enterprise research strategic investment plan Economies of scale that demonstrate ROI and value

6 year IT Investment Plan This is the first year Minnesota has had a 6 year IT plan (in progress) Research Cyberinfrastructure is now a part of that Plan Need additional base funding Need carefully layered “smart” ISO charge back models Need to focus on Interdisciplinary and interinstitution Collaboration

Thanks!