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Upcoming National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This day honours children who never returned home, survivors of residential schools and their families and communities. The Digital Research Alliance of Canada will be closed on this day to allow for deeper reflections on the harmful impacts left by the colonialism. We commit to continuous learning, listening and embracing our role in reducing harm, advancing reconciliation, and supporting the data sovereignty and research priorities of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
News
Update on Advanced Research Computing Infrastructure Renewal
The Alliance, with the support of Innovation, Science & Economic Development Canada (ISED), is collaborating with host institutions, provincial governments, and regional DRI organizations to fund and enable cutting-edge high performance computing (HPC) and cloud storage infrastructure renewal beginning this fall.
Our team is planning joint-funding announcements in Ontario and Quebec in mid-October in close collaboration with our National Host Sites, partners and co-funders. These announcements follow a $50+M regional funding announcement in British Columbia in June.
In parallel, we are supporting host site-led infrastructure upgrades. These improvements are designed to significantly enhance performance, reliability, and overall service quality. The new equipment will offer faster processing speeds, greater storage capacity, and improved reliability.
ARC renewal is a critical step to future-proof our digital research infrastructure and to enable more discovery and research, faster than ever before.
Thank you for your support of this ambitious and exciting project.
Learn More: Follow the Infrastructure Renewal Wiki Page for ongoing updates.
Resource Allocation Competition now open! Apply for compute, storage and cloud resources
Our annual Resource Allocation Competition (RAC) is open. Faculty members at Canadian institutions can apply for priority access to compute, storage and cloud resources beyond the Rapid Access Service. Proposals to RAC must be submitted electronically through the CCDB by October 30, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Visit the RAC webpage for important information, competition details and information session registration.
Become a tester for the new Alliance Cloud Connect Pilot (ACCP)
Get early access to our new commercial and community cloud and help shape advanced research computing at the same time. We’re accepting applications from all researchers in Canada who currently use or have a need for DRI services (community cloud or advanced research computing). Participants will get early access to the ACCP platform and provide feedback at a critical time in the service development. Researcher input and testing is essential for the pilot project’s success! The deadline to apply is October 15. Learn more and apply: Alliance Cloud Connect Pilot.
Just published! Check out our latest annual report
Our Annual Report showcases our work and impacts from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024, including updates on our strategic initiatives, funding programs, partnerships and ongoing support for national digital research infrastructure (DRI). You can learn more about our work and how we’re supporting researchers in Canada here: 2023–24 Annual Report / Rapport annuel 2023–2024.
New position paper on AI-driven research
The Research Software Alliance (ReSA) and the Alliance have teamed up to release a position paper that highlights the essential role of research software in AI-driven research and offers recommendations for incorporating this element into AI strategies. By examining research software that supports both generative AI and traditional machine learning software, the paper underscores the necessity of recognizing and supporting research software and its personnel as integral components of technological infrastructure. Read it here: Research software is critical to the future of AI-driven research.
New Software Management Plan Template
We’re excited to announce the launch of the Alliance Software Management Plan (SMP) Template (English/French), a new resource designed to bridge a crucial gap in research software management. As software becomes increasingly central to research, it's essential to ensure it's developed, maintained, and reused effectively. The SMP Template provides a structured approach for managing software projects, making them more accessible and sustainable. It offers valuable guidance for funders, policymakers, administrators, developers, and researchers to enhance software quality, adherence to standards, and reproducibility. Available in both English and French, this template aims to promote best practices and support continuous improvement in software management. For questions or feedback, please visit our website or reach out to rs-lr@alliancecan.ca.
Call for participation: Lunaris User Community Group
We’re accepting new members for a User Community Group on Lunaris, the Alliance's national research data discovery service. Anyone who uses or has an interest in Lunaris to discover or facilitate the reuse of research data in Canada is encouraged to participate. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss data sharing and reuse with other professionals, provide feedback on the state of the service, participate in user experience studies and influence the development of Lunaris. If you are interested in participating, please join the Google Group. This is an open-ended call, and the group will continue to accept new members.
Events
Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2024
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and we’re collaborating with the National Training Coordination Council to offer a series of events throughout the month on the theme: Cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility. We welcome researchers and digital research infrastructure (DRI) professionals with all levels of cybersecurity knowledge. Event topics range from basic cybersecurity hygiene to more specialized subjects. Each week there is a new category of events, so there is something for everyone. Visit our website in the coming days to learn more and register.
November 2024 (date to be confirmed) – A mapping of institutional research data management strategies across the Canadian higher education landscape
This webinar will explore institutional research data management (RDM) strategies from Canadian higher education and research institutions, as required by the Tri-Agency Research Data Management Policy. Details to come.
Webinar series: Open Educational Resources in Research Data Management
The National Training Expert Group is hosting a webinar series on Canadian open educational resources for research data management. Recordings of previous sessions in this series can be viewed on the Alliance’s YouTube channel. Stay tuned for information about future sessions.
Visit our training calendar for online and in-person training events offered by our advanced research computing regional partners.
Work With Us
If you would like to help us advance and invest in national DRI activities that will allow researchers to achieve scientific breakthrough and research excellence, please apply to our open positions today.
Become an Alliance Member
The Alliance is accepting applications to join its growing membership of over 100 Canadian post-secondary institutions and research organizations. Become part of a national, bilingual not-for-profit organization accelerating Canada’s research future. We invite you to learn about Alliance membership and its benefits by emailing membership-adhesion@alliancecan.ca and visiting Become a member.
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