SURF has just released a VRE Starter Kit (see below). Within it it lists some technologies people ought to be interested in. I suggest that this project out to be in there, especially given that SURFNet staff are engaged with this project. See http://wiki.surffoundation.nl/display/VRE/Platforms
Ross ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Christopher Brown <[email protected]> Date: 30 January 2012 13:36 Subject: FW: Researchers get practical help with online collaboration To: [email protected] ** Apologies for any cross-posting ** Many of you will be interested in SURF Foundation’s launch of their VRE Starters Kit. Regards, Chris Christopher Brown e-Research Programme Manager email: [email protected] direct: 020 3006 6072 mobile: 07891 501177 Twitter: chriscb Skype: chriscbrown Van: Kuil, van der Annemiek Verzonden: vrijdag 27 januari 2012 11:05 Onderwerp: Researchers get practical help with online collaboration Researchers get practical help with online collaboration VRE Starters Kit: the starting point for setting up a “Virtual Research Environment” Utrecht – 27 January 2012 – Years of experience at various universities with online collaboration environments (‘Virtual Research Environments’, VREs) has now been combined in the VRE Starters Kit. The Kit helps researchers and support staff to select a virtual research environment, get it up and running, and make use of it. Experience from various SURFshare projects and a number of local projects has been combined in the Starters Kit. The Kit enables higher education institutions to improve the service they provide for researchers. VRE Starters Kit The material in the VRE Starters Kit is intended primarily for the support staff who assist researchers. Among its features is an overview of the functions required for online collaboration. An interview protocol allows the support staffer to ask the researcher the right questions so as to determine how he/she wants to collaborate. There is also a manual for organising, setting up and managing a VRE for researchers, and ensuring that it is secure. Experience so far A number of Dutch universities have gained experience in recent years with Virtual Research Environments (VREs). University libraries provide support for researchers to collaborate by means of such environments. Experience so far shows, however, that implementing systems of this kind and providing practical support for researchers costs both time and money. Careful thought needs to be given to how a VRE is set up. It is not only the choice of platform that needs to be considered but also many other aspects, for example administration of rights, consensus on document filing, addition of metadata, version management, etc. Showcase at Maastricht University Maastricht University has tested the effectiveness of the VRE Starters Kit for setting up a virtual research environment for researchers. Just a year ago, at the beginning of 2011, the university provided hardly any services in the area of VREs. Staff at the university have indicated that the Collaboration VREs project (funded by SURF) has been extremely valuable in developing their VRE programme. They have been able to set up a VRE – without any complex problems – that provides the most relevant functions required by researchers. In particular, the documentation that was available meant that the VRE could be organised quickly. Researchers at Maastricht University now have an online collaboration service via the university library. The university presented the service to researchers in December 2011. Assistant Professor Anke Sambeth said afterwards “I’m really enthusiastic about it. I work together with a group of other people and a VRE will be really useful. When we write a grant application, we quickly end up with eighteen different versions. Without a system of version management, that leads to confusion and makes even more consultation necessary via Skype. We currently assemble supplementary information on a separate website, but that could all be placed within the VRE. If we actually get the grant, then the group of collaborators will increase in size to 30 or 40 people. Then it will be really useful to have a VRE.” About SURFshare SURFshare’s aim is to open up a wide range of possibilities for finding, creating, distributing, and publishing research results. That is possible because ICT not only speeds up standard communication processes but also changes the nature of the research cycle itself. SURFfoundation’s intention with the SURFshare programme is to create a common infrastructure that will facilitate access to research information and make it possible for researchers to share that information. The above message is also available on the SURFfoundation website. Kind regards, Annemiek van der Kuil Annemiek van der Kuil | community manager ICT & Research | SURFfoundation | Graadt van Roggenweg 340 | P.O.Box 2290 | 3500 GG Utrecht | T + 31 30 234 66 42 | E [email protected] W www.surffoundation.nl/SURFshare
