Research Computing encompasses computing technology, data storage systems, advanced instruments, visualization environments, data analysis and management systems, and human resources, linked by high speed networks to make scientific and engineering innovation and discoveries possible. It refers to information technology systems that provide particularly powerful and advanced capabilities. Research Computing is not limited to the sciences and engineering, but can serve the arts, humanities and social sciences as well. It describes computing environments that support advanced data acquisition, storage, management, integration, mining, visualization and other computing and information processing services distributed over the Internet beyond the scope of a single institution. While processors, storage devices, sensors, and other physical assets are part of Research Computing, it is more than connecting people with advanced networks and sophisticated applications running on powerful computer systems—it involves those people as participants in the knowledge generation, thereby giving them the opportunity to share expertise, tools and facilities.
The National Science Foundation’s Advanced Cyberinfrastructure supports and coordinates the development, acquisition and provision of state-of-the-art cyberinfrastructure resources, tools and services essential to the advancement and transformation of science and engineering.
EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education through the use of information technology.
The Internet2 Research Support Center provides comprehensive end-to-end support to the research community for the use of Internet2 Network infrastructure and related services.