Anitha Kannan1, Kerry Levett1
1Australian Research Data Commons, , Australia
Over the past decade, the ARDC has partnered with the research community to develop and deliver digital research infrastructure, underpinned by its hub of expertise and established relationships with research institutions. As digital research infrastructure has become increasingly critical for all domains of research, the demand has never been greater. The ARDC’s future strategy is based around the concept of Thematic Research Data Commons that will support the maximum number of researchers through a small number of strategically selected thematic areas that address Australia’s science and research priorities.
The Thematic RDC model will build on the collective capabilities of ARDC, NCRIS, digital infrastructure providers, institutional partners and research communities to establish and maintain fit-for-purpose digital research infrastructure (like data assets, storage, compute, services, tools and platforms), data standards and practices, and expertise.
A Thematic RDC brings together closely aligned research domains, industry and government to drive increased excellence, resilience, optimisation and agility in research and research translation for societal benefits and commercial opportunities.
The ARDC is establishing two pilot Thematic RDCs in the 2022-23 financial year with $15.8 million from the 2020 Research Infrastructure Investment Plan to start the pilots. The pilot themes are ‘People’, which has a focus on ‘Health’, and ‘Planet’ with an initial focus on ‘Environment’.
The presentation provides an overview of the latest developments in the People and Planet RDCs.
Biography:
Anitha has 10 years of experience in research infrastructure, backed by 14 years of experience in the information technology industry. She is passionate about developing and delivering strategies that unlock the potential of data to drive research innovation for societal benefit.
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3028-4959
Kerry was an environmental science researcher before moving into data management. She works to bridge the gap between the users and the builders of digital research infrastructure to create platforms that will transform research.