Georgia Collaborative Research Initiative

The Georgia Collaborative Research Initiative (CRI) is a Georgia Tech effort with the goal of supporting the increasingly collaborative nature of scientific research. This initiative originated with the understanding that current and future research depends on the following:

• The ability to collaborate within a community of researchers with shared interests

• The ability to access vital resources (data, computing cycles, services, applications, and instrumentation)

Presently, these needs can be difficult to satisfy. But, with the formation of the Southern Light Rail (SLR), which connects to the National Lambda Rail (NLR) , a unique opportunity has presented itself. The capability to bring dedicated large bandwidth connections directly to a researcher makes it feasible to satisfy these needs. The CRI is about going beyond providing better network connections between researchers. It is also focused on recognizing and understanding the context of the individual researcher and applying this towards the development of applications that enable the researcher to work more effectively.

Currently, the CRI is working with local universities to better understand which research groups are trying to collaborate but are hindered by their current conditions. As these groups are identified, this initiative will support a process of evaluating needs, specifying solutions, writing grant proposals, and coordinating the various pieces (people, tools, time) of the project as necessary.

To learn more, read a summary of a case study that is in progress now.