Digital Research Infrastructure StrategyMarch 18 | Sinead Tuite, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

Components of the Canadian DRI Ecosystem

Digital Network

for Research and Education

Data

Management (DM)

Research

Software (RS)

Advanced

Research

Computing (ARC)

CybersecurityHighly Qualified Personnel (HQP)

Allows researchers to find and access data

Enables researchers to access and use data

Supercomputers that allow researchers to analyse massive

amounts of data

Skilled people to support the DRI system and help

researchers

Ensures that the data is protected

Allows collaboration across Canada and internationally

Demand for DRI is increasing significantly

• Insufficient capacity to keep up with demand in an increasingly

digital and big data research world

– only 40% of demand for general computing (CPU) resources

met in 2019;

– only 20.3% for graphic processing (GPUs) met – required for

Artificial Intelligence and other specialized data processing

Supply: Allocable Capacity

Need: Total Capacity Requested

Prov ided: Total Capacity Allocated

Supply: Allocable Capacity

Need: Total Capacity Requested

Prov ided: Total Capacity Allocated

And the current governance and funding model doesn’t support success

• Digital Research Infrastructure (DRI) landscape was overly

complex, lacked cohesion and national vision

• Funding decisions fragmented and made on a project-by-project

basis, driven by institutional and regional cost-match, given

Canada Foundation for Innovation requirement for 40% (federal) /

60% (other) funding ratio

• While this funding model works well for physical infrastructure, it has

resulted in cost-sharing of salaries and driven by funding

availability, creating an unstable and unsustainable service model

• Data management (DM) and Research Software (RS) initiatives

are in nascent stages of development, and require attention at

national level

• CANARIE network continues to operate well, but requires more

collaboration to ensure seamless service continuum for DRI users

Current National Structure of DRI

Ecosystem

• 100% federal

funding via ISED for CANARIE

• 100% PT

funding for regional and

local networks

• 40% federal

funding via CFI for national,

regional and local

layers

• 60% PT / Other funding

Fragmented funding on a project basis

The Leadership Council on Digital Research Infrastructure (LCDRI) outlined a path forward

• Minister of Science tasked LCDRI in 2016 to consult the research

community and provide advice on how to strengthen the DRI system

• Consensus was that a coordinated strategy is needed, and supported a two-stage approach to recognize the needs of the network

compared to ARC, DM, and RS pillars that:

– coordinates the DRI ecosystem;

– ensures good governance; and,

– develops a national strategy that accounts for the needs of researchers

And Principles for a National Vision and

System • World-class: Highly competitive and offering cutting-edge tools and services.

• Researcher-centric: Needs discerned through meaningful community engagement and paramount when making decisions that affect the DRI system.

• Skills-focused: Promotes skills development and communities of practice.

• Efficient: Maximizes efficiencies and defines responsibilities, enhancing coordination and streamlining services.

• Agile: Providers seize new technological and investment opportunities, and responds to researchers’ varied and evolving needs.

• Fair: All researchers have open and equitable access, and costs for supporting the system are fairly shared among users and funding partners.

• Secure: Research data - including those that are sensitive and confidential –are secured through appropriate access management protocols and cybersecurity systems.

The GoC’s DRI Strategy reflects that advice

• Budget 2018 provided $572.5 million over five years, with $52 million

per year ongoing to develop and implement a Digital Research

Infrastructure Strategy to deliver more open and equitable access to

advanced computing and big data resources to researchers across

Canada.

– The Strategy needed to look at how to incorporate the roles currently

played by the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Compute Canada and CANARIE, to provide for more streamlined access for Canadian researchers.

• Expected outcomes:

– Canadian researchers are equipped with world-class tools to

optimize research data and conduct leading-edge research; An

agile and responsive DRI system that is able to efficiently and

effectively respond to emerging needs and opportunities within the research community; and

– A cohesive national vision for future investments, leveraging

contributions from federal, provincial, institutional and private

sector sources

And has three core elements for

implementationTo achieve its expected outcomes, the Strategy is comprised of the following elements:

1. ARC: $50 million in the immediate expansion of ARC capacity at up to five existing national ARC host sites; leveraged for $95M total investment

2. CANARIE: $145 million for CANARIE, the manager of the ultra-high-speed

network that connects Canada’s researchers, educators and innovators.

Includes:

• over $8 million top up in 2019-20 for Northern connectivity and

cybersecurity, and

• $137 million to renew its contribution agreement and enhance its cybersecurity mandate for 2020 to 2024.

3. New DRI Organization (NDRIO): Up to $375 million towards a national

not-for-profit organization that will advance and invest in national DRI

activities (DM, RS, ARC);

• Reflecting a new funding model with increased federal funding for the national layer of the DRI ecosystem (60% total expenditures), and

regional and institutional funding commensurate with roles and responsibilities (40% total expenditures)

There is a three year transition period until

March 31, 2022• The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) will continue to fund eligible Compute Canada

Federation (CCF) operations to

March 31, 2022, facilitating a smooth and efficient transition to:

– maintain support and services for researchers and retain HQP

– enable CCF’s role in strategic planning and advice for future success

– support activities to address current weaknesses and strengthen ecosystem

– wind down the activities of the Compute Canada corporation

– allow institutions and provinces to adjust to new roles and responsibilities

• CANARIE to also transfer RS and DM activities to NDRIO by

March 31, 2022

Future National Structure of DRI Ecosystem

Transition period until March 31, 2022 to minimize disruption for regional and local partners, researchers, and Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP).

• To immediately increase the supply of ARC resources until the new organization is operational, ISED is investing $50 million of a total project cost of approximately $94 million– 53% of the total project funding

• Expansion is taking place at the five existing host sites: McGill University, University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, Simon Fraser University and University of Victoria

• The recommended investment will provide:

• A 50% increase in CPU and virtual CPU capacity;

• Double GPU and active storage capacity; and

• Significantly increased access to ARC resources

• 70% of the increased capacity will be available to researchers by

spring 2020

• Opportunity to support change management and results (performance indicators, cybersecurity, and annual performance reviews)

Fall 2019: Signed

Agreements

(Completed)

Winter 2019: UVic, U of T, U of W, and SFU online

(Underway)

Winter 2020: McGill online

(Underway)

Work is underway to increase ARC resources

CANARIE’s mandate has been renewed

• CANARIE’s current mandate (2015-2020) was amended to provide

$8.6M to immediately strengthen cybersecurity, increase northern

connectivity, and funding for one year to support data management

infrastructure

• The Government of Canada confirmed an investment of $137M to

renew CANARIE’s mandate for 2020 – 2024.

• Includes funding for DM and RS for two years, after which these functions will transition to new DRI organization

• Aligns funding cycle with new DRI organization to support joint efforts and

collaboration

• CANARIE and NDRIO will be required to work collaboratively to:

• Strengthen the cybersecurity of Canada’s DRI, and

• Develop annual Joint DRI Ecosystem Plans and Joint DRI Ecosystem Reports in order to coordinate joint activities across the ecosystem

A new DRI Contribution Program created to fund the NDRIO

The New DRI Organization (NDRIO), a not-for-profit organization, will coordinate funding and strategic directions for national DRI activities related to: Advanced

Research Computing (ARC), Data Management (DM), and Research Software

(RS).

Contribution Program Vision:

• deliver open and equitable access to advanced computing and big data

resources to academic researchers across Canada in order to further enable

scientific and research excellence.

Contribution Program Mission:

• NDRIO will identify and provide national digital tools and services necessary

for Canadian academic researchers to conduct world-class research across all disciplines and across Canada, regardless of where they are located.

• Expert-driven and technically proficient, NDRIO will make decisions in the

national interest, to ensure the DRI needs of Canada's diverse researchers are met.

• Guided by the principles of value for money and maximizing the federal

investment, NDRIO will support effective planning, operations, and coordination across the DRI ecosystem, in an environment of rapidly changing

technology and researcher needs.

Federal funding for national services increases under new model

• Current model: prov ides 40% federal funding v ia CFI and 60% v ia regions and

institutions.

• New model: Via the NDRIO, up to 60% federal funding of the overall DRI ecosystem costs v ia the new DRI organization.

• This will be achieved in three ways:

1. Integrated National Services (to be defined)

• Up to 100% for national serv ices (ARC operations and federated national serv ice layer)

2. Infrastructure (cost-sharing)• Targeting federal funding of up to 60%; aiming for a 40% cost-match

across the infrastructure envelope, with flexibility on a project-by-project basis

• Up to 100% federal funding for national site operations

3. Direct services to researchers (cost-sharing) (to be defined)

• Up to 100% for some functions best delivered by NDRIO• Up to 25% federal contribution to catalyse direct services at the

regional HQP layer v ia new NDRIO against pre-set criteria with

appropriate accountabilities• 0% for functions outside those definitions and criteria

Joint Compute Canada and NDRIO transition plan due January 2021 to migrate

national layer activities, functions, and staff

Federal

Funding –up to 60%

of eco-system total

Regional /

institutional funding-

approx. 40% of ecosystem

total

Redistribution of funding allows for federal

leadership nationallyCurrent Funding Arrangement New Funding Arrangement

60%

Provinci

al/

Institutio

nal

60%

Provinci

al/

Institutio

nal

ARC

Infrastructure + Operations

Approx. 40%

Provincial/

Institutional for

infrastructure

National

Serv ices

Direct

Serv ice to Researchers

75%

Prov incial/Institutional

Up to

100%

Federal

ARC

Infrastructure + Operations

60%

Prov incial/Institutional

National

Serv ices

Direct

Serv ice to Researchers

75%

Provinci

al/

Instituti

onal

60%

Prov incial/Institutional

60%

Prov incial/Institutional

Up to 60% federal for

infrastructure;up to 100%

for operations

Up to 25% for regional ARC HQP

The Government’s priorities for NDRIO include a national vision and collaboration…

1. Develop and Implement a National Vision

• For a nationally coordinated DRI ecosystem that responds to stakeholder and researcher needs, and all researchers have equitable access to digital tools and services

• Meaningful engagement with the research community to identify needs and build community support

2. Coordinate and Collaborate Across the DRI Ecosystem

• Work with stakeholders across the DRI ecosystem to deliver on objectives

• Develop national vision for investments

– increase federal funding up to 60% in DRI

– leverage contributions from federal, provincial, institutional, and private sector sources

• Clear, but coordinated, roles and responsibilities across ARC, DM and RS to align and maximize the

impact of investments

• Promote and develop HQP skills and communities of practice to support the DRI ecosystem

…while innovating and improving technology; cybersecurity; and equity, diversity

and inclusion

3. Innovate and Continuously Improve Infrastructure Technology and Services• Invest in world-class digital tools and services and increase capacity

• Seize new technological and investment opportunities, including new technologies such as cloud computing

• Offer services that are responsive to researcher needs, in coordination with other organizations in the ecosystem

4. Support and Improve the Security of Canada’s Research Infrastructure• Help protect Canada’s DRI from cyber threats

5. Improve Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion• Increase the accessibility of DRI resources for all researchers, particularly for

women and users from other underrepresented groups• Model the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion through your

operations, decision-making structures, and program design

ISED is supporting NDRIO and others in

achieving this vision

• ISED working closely with NDRIO, Compute Canada, CFI, CANARIE and others on the implementation of the DRI Strategy– Current focus is on collaboration and transition

planning

– Ongoing work on increasing capacity and establishing directions in ARC, RS, and DM

• ISED leading on federal-provincial-territorial engagement, particularly on new funding model