Pilot/seed projects with participation of Chalmers e-Commons Digital Research Engineers
-------------------------------------------------- -------------------
Data-driven research is becoming increasingly important in many research fields at Chalmers. To strengthen Chalmers researchers in this regard, Chalmers e-Commons offers advanced research support. For pilot/seed projects starting in spring 2024, we invite Expressions of Interest (EoI) for partnering with Chalmers e-Commons Digital Research Engineers. The Digital Research Engineers provide expertise in the following areas:
- Use of Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning in research
- Use of High Performance Computing in research
- Use of Scientific Visualization in research (the project proposals and project work will be included in the processes of the national research infrastructure InfraVis)
The Digital Research Engineers normally take part in the research projects during six months with an effort of in total 20-50%. The selected projects will also benefit from the complementing expertise and resources in Chalmers e-Commons, including the support team and computing/storage resources (earlier “C3SE”) and Chalmers Data Office.
Researchers interested in a collaboration with a Digital Research Engineer are invited to contact Chalmers e-Commons ( e-commons@chalmers.se ) as soon as possible to initiate a first discussion potentially leading up to an EoI. The deadline for the EoI is 2023-10-31.
Proposals for research involving new collaborations between researchers from different research communities, for example, across different Areas of Advance are especially welcome.
Pilot/seed projects where the Digital Research Engineer is fully or partially financially supported by eg a project grant will have higher priority. Proposals that build on earlier projects with participation of e-Commons Digital Research Engineers or Data Science Research Engineers (DSRE) require that the participation of the Research Engineer(s) is fully funded by the research project.
More information on the background, the EoI and the process is found below.
-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------
About Chalmers e-Commons:
Chalmers e-Commons is Chalmers digital research infrastructure, initiated in 2020 with a mandate to support Chalmers researchers, research groups and other research infrastructures in all aspects of research data and computing, from data collection, large-scale computing and analysis of data, to storage, sharing and publishing of data. Chalmers e-Commons integrates earlier efforts, eg the HPC center C3SE and the Data Science Research Engineers (DSRE) group in a broader and more complete setting. Chalmers e-Commons also hosts new digital research infrastructure efforts, eg the Chalmers node in InfraVis, a new national research infrastructure for visualization in research. Through Chalmers e-Commons, researchers at Chalmers have access to local, national, and international digital expert functions and resources.
About Digital Research Engineers:
The group of Digital Research Engineers is a central resource in Chalmers e-Commons. The focus is on building and developing contacts with Chalmers' research and supporting the research activities in several different ways. As their main task, the Digital Research Engineers partner in selected pilot/seed research projects where their expertise is requested by a Chalmers research leader. To a large degree, this advanced support function is building on experiences drawn from earlier, similar efforts by the DSRE group (now integrated in Chalmers e-Commons). An overview of some previous projects can be found here: https://www.chalmers.se/en/infrastructure/ecommons/research-support/
About the current call for EoIs for pilot/seed projects:
Chalmers researchers are invited to submit an EoI for including Chalmers e-Commons Digital Research Engineers as partners in pilot/seed projects starting in spring 2024. Here, the projects should normally include an effort of in total 20-50% of full-time by one or more of the Digital Research Engineers for 6 months. Chalmers e-Commons plans to announce similar calls for pilot/seed projects regularly.
The selected projects will also benefit from the complementing expertise in Chalmers e-Commons, including the e-infrastructure support team (“C3SE”) and Chalmers Data Office. Specifically, these groups can help in analyzing the computing/storage needs and setting up and updating a Data Management Plan. Also, dedicated large-scale computational resources for projects focusing on AI/ML can be provided within a collaboration between Chalmers e-Commons and Chalmers AI Research Center (CHAIR).
About the format of the EoI:
The EoI should be a maximum of 3 pages long. A one-page CV of the research leader/main applicant should be attached. If relevant, additional one-page CVs of other project participants may also be attached. For projects with an important research data component, it is recommended that a Data Management Plan is also attached to the EoI, see below. The EoI should include:
a) Project title and preferably a project acronym
b) Research leader/main applicant: Name, e-mail and department
c) Preferred starting date and ending date
d) A short overview of the proposed project, with its research challenges and objectives
e) An overview of what different types of expertise are needed and what novel possibilities you see in partnering with the Digital Research Engineers
f) Concrete descriptions of the commitment (% of full time of own work, financial support for work by Digital Research Engineers) provided by the research group and the proposed effort for one or more of the Digital Research Engineers (% of full time)
g) A description of what digital resources that will be needed to perform the project. This includes resources for computing/data analysis and other e-infrastructure. It also includes an account for the type, size and availability of the data to be used in the project, including current availability and any restriction of use from eg IPR restrictions. Planning of the data management can be significantly facilitated by preparing a Data Management Plan 1 already at the proposal stage, it may then be attached to the proposal.
h) The expected outcome (including a dissemination/publication plan) and the potential for further research/activities based on the proposed pilot/seed project.
The application should be submitted as one single PDF document to e-commons@chalmers.se .
About the process – from writing the EoI and onwards:
The deadline for the EoIs is 2023-10-31. The group of e-Commons Digital Research Engineers is available to discuss the contents of the EoI during the time leading up to the submission deadline. It is highly recommended to involve them in the formulation of the EoI. The goal of the discussions during this phase is to isolate the potential benefits of partnering with the Digital Research Engineers and to ensure that the research described in the EoI matches the resources and expertise available.
The final EoIs will be reviewed by the Chalmers e-Commons Management Group. For EoIs requesting expertise in AI/ML and/or HPC, the Management Group will propose which projects to support for decision in the Chalmers e-Commons Steering Board. For EoIs requesting expertise with a focus on Visualisation, a proposal will be prepared for decision in the InfraVis national Steering Board.
For the supported proposals, a project plan - including a data management plan - is set up jointly by the research leader, the involved Digital Research Engineers, and complementing expertise within Chalmers e-Commons. Then the work on the research project begins. At the end of the project period the progress/results of the project are jointly documented in a short report.
About the continuation of already supported projects:
Experience from the work in the DSRE groups shows that research leaders often want to extend the project period, eg for an additional six months. This will be possible if the participation of the Digital Research Engineers is fully funded by the research project. It is encouraged that suitable grant applications submitted during the first phase of the project include a budget line for this.
1 Chalmers provides a tool (DSW) for setting up and updating a Data Management Plan following the widely accepted format recommended by eg the Swedish Research Council. The tool is found at https://dsw.chalmers.se . Chalmers Data Office ( dataoffice@chalmers.se ) can, if needed, discuss the planning of data management and provide support.