E-Science groups in the UK

Around the world there are many groups and organisations that make up the e-Science programme. These are for the most part comprised of members from universities, research groups and other collaborators funded by the government. The work of such groups is essential to the development of the e-Science programme, and is therefore vital to the growth of the sciences as a whole. Scientific research into areas such as particle physics requires a powerful infrastructure, and this is something that only e-Science can achieve. In the UK alone there are numerous groups that make up the e-Science programme. It is these groups we will be taking a look at.

e-Science groups in the UK

The groups that make up the UK e-Science programme are as follows:

• Science & Technology Facilities Council - The STFC are a self-governing community body, and are funded by the Office of Science and Innovation. This is a group that provides a range of services to cater scientific research in the UK and around Europe. They are made up of researchers in areas including universities, business and research laboratories. It is the aim of the STFC to meet the demands of researchers across the globe, in terms of large and powerful computational needs.
• Oxford e-Research Centre - The OeRC caters for the computational and technological needs of research groups across the entirety of Oxford University. However, they do not merely restrict their activities to organisations within Oxford University, as there are links to the UK e-Science programme and collaborations abroad. It is the vision of the Oxford e-Research Centre to continue working toward innovation, in order to improve the research processes used in the sciences.
• National e-Science Centre - The NeSC is an e-Science research group comprised of a conglomerate of divisions from the universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. This includes members from the school of physics, department of computing science and the school of informatics. It is the aim of the National e-Science Centre to work toward the expansion of the e-Science programme in the UK and abroad, improve collaboration and to improve technology in order to cater for data storage demands.
• e-Science North West Centre - The ESNW is a research facility based predominantly at the University of Manchester. It is their aim to provide a Grid infrastructure, through which multi-disciplinary research groups can achieve their goals. They also work with commercial partners, such as engineers. The ESNW was established in 2001, and is comprised of members from the School of Computer Science and Research Computing Services. It is the aim of the e-Science North West Centre to provide an infrastructure by which educational, manufacturing and government bodies can meet their research needs.
• Cambridge e-Science Centre - The CeSC was established in 2001, and is based at the Centre for Mathematical Sciences. It is the aim of the Cambridge e-Science Centre to provide a computational Grid for research associates, support scientists in the Cambridge region, work to scientific advances by using original computing concepts and to accomplish more powerful and better storage technology. They collaborate with a wide range of e-Science groups, including Lancaster University and IBM.
• London e-Science Centre - The Le-SC is based at Imperial College London, but is mainly involved in its Department of Computing. It is their aim to further the development of e-Science in London and across the south-east of the UK. This is done through a range of collaborations, including those groups involved in particle physics, environmental modelling and engineering. There is also the aim to build and maintain a Grid infrastructure, promote the image of e-Science and to collaborate with the National Grid.
• Welsh e-Science Centre - The WeSC is based in the Cardiff School of Computer Science at Cardiff University. It is their aim to build and develop an e-Science infrastructure by which research groups and associates can achieve their computational needs. It is also their objective to promote the image of e-Science in Wales and the south-west of the UK and to collaborate with more businesses and researchers, particularly in engineering.
• Other e-Science groups - There are various other research groups based around the UK, and they all have a part to play in the development and technological advancement of the e-Science programme. They include the Belfast e-Science Centre, National Grid Service, Lancaster University Centre for e-Science and Southampton e-Science Centre. Their work is of vital importance to the future aspirations of e-Science and the future endeavours scientific researches are to undertake.