'Jisc inform' looks at research in the digital age

Providing researchers with the support, tools and infrastructure they need to undertake world-class research in the digital age is the main theme of the new Jisc inform published this week.

In an exclusive interview, Professor John Wood, chief executive of the former Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils (CCLRC) and Chair of Jisc’s Support of Research committee as well as its Scholarly Communications Group, talks about how the creation, management and preservation of data has become central to UK research and how Jisc and the Research Councils are working together to provide the necessary services to support these activities.  

‘We’re expecting to store 2 Petabytes of data this year – that’s equivalent to a stack of CDs two kilometres high – and we expect that in a few years’ time we’ll be curating 10 Petabytes a year,’ says Professor Wood. Massive amounts of data such as these require careful management but also the necessary infrastructure to ensure access to resources and tools as well as the integrity of the research process. 

inform plus+ - a web-based supplement containing information and materials not available in the printed publication – contains a podcast of the interview with Professor Wood as well as a full-length article about Jisc’s activities to help UK universities establish and develop institutional repositories, specially commissioned from journalist Tracey Caldwell.  

Other items in inform plus+ include an image gallery from the Jisc conference in March and an extended article and additional images from an important design and architecture resource made available by Jisc Collections, Pidgeon Digital.

Continuing the research theme, another article – entitled ‘Supporting science and innovation’ – looks at a report written by Jisc and partners and published in February which calls for greater investment in the UK’s e-infrastructure as a means of maintaining and enhancing the global standing of UK research. Although the current e-infrastructure has helped secure the UK’s current standing in pharmaceuticals, defence, media, financial services and other areas, there is still a great deal to be done, the report suggests, to ensure the innovations of UK researchers can be translated into commercial applications with wider economic benefits. 

Other articles in the new inform include features on major changes to Northern Ireland’s FE sector - changes which the province’s Regional Support Centre is at the heart of - the Jisc Digitisation programme, new animations on the e-Framework and Access Management and Jisc’s work in the area of identity management.

A printed questionnaire also accompanies the new issue, designed to elicit readers’ views on the publication. An online questionnaire is also available and we would be grateful if you would fill in either a printed or online questionnaire to let us know your views on inform.