14
June
2022

Internet2 Announcements Research Engagement

New NSF-funded Report Examines Research Computing and Data Capabilities in Higher Education

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By Daphne McCanse, Communications and Engagement for RCD Nexus, CaRCC

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

The second Research Computing and Data (RCD) Capabilities Model Community Dataset report is now available through CaRCC’s RCD Nexus as part of a project funded by the National Science Foundation. The report aggregates assessments contributed by 51 higher education institutions, providing insight into the current state of support for RCD.

Report data is intended to support strategic planning and decision-making for campus leadership, funding agencies, RCD leaders, and others interested in advanced technologies that enable research.  

Themes that emerged from the 2021 data include:

  • There is generally more coverage in areas related to supporting researchers, systems, strategy, and policy, than for data and software capabilities.
  • R1 institutions have much higher levels of coverage than other Carnegie Classifications, particularly in certain areas.
  • EPSCoR institutions have significant gaps in capabilities coverage relative to institutions in other states, including dramatic gaps in certain areas of Data-Facing support.

“This level of data has never before been readily available to the RCD community,” said Patrick Schmitz, co-principal investigator on the RCD Nexus project. “We were intrigued to see that institutions who completed a second assessment in 2021 saw a marked increase in their capabilities related to RCD strategy and policy. It’s possible the assessment is already helping them improve their programs. We will work to continue expanding the dataset in the coming years, and are pleased to offer the RCD community a solid baseline dataset to help inform strategic planning.”

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant OAC-2100003. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

About Campus Research and Computing Consortium 

The Campus Research Computing Consortium (CaRCC) is an organization of research computing and data (RCD) and other related professionals sharing a common vision to: 

  • Advocate for and advance the profession
  • Build and foster an inclusive community 
  • Connect the broader RCD ecosystem through its People Network
  • Establish and promote leading practice
  • Provide professional materials, education, and career resources via RCD Nexus
  • Support workforce development

About RCD Nexus

RCD Nexus is the CaRCC resource and career center sharing information, best practices, and educational materials related to the field of research and computing data (RCD). Supported by a Cyberinfrastructure Centers of Excellence (CI CoE) pilot grant from the National Science Foundation, RCD Nexus provides: