Zero-In fifth Issue eMagazine

Dear Readers,
Since Zero-In’s first issue two years ago, the importance accorded to e-Infrastructures by policy have undergone a sea change.
The role that governance plays has come to the fore and the quest to maximise value of investments has become ever more salient with the financial crisis and the phasing out of public funding for some large EU projects. Governance brings new organisational and financial models and working methods that empower the innovative potential of users - which in turn leads to huge social and economic dividends.
However, as pointed out by the article inspired by the recent BELIEF brainstorming event, the success of Governance structures in allowing the freedom to innovate must be captured more comprehensively by e-Infrastructures’ metrics of success. Matti Heikkurinen of e-IRGSP2 reveals how users are evolving, progress to service-oriented e-Infrastructure is accelerating, and as e-Infrastructure services are becoming ever more commoditised. These trends point to the need for an effective method, such as a regular census, for tracking e-Infrastructures development and impact over time, to better inform governance strategies and investment policy. The ideas for measuring impacts of evolving global virtual research communities are also explored in articles by the eResearch2020 study.
The importance of governance and strategic communication are highlighted by Cynthia R. MacIntyre in her article on e-Infrastructures and Economic Competitiveness in the 21st Century. Initiatives in the US and in South Africa show that public private partnerships yield huge returns for society and business, and show South Africa as a regional pioneer harnessing e-Infrastructures to meet new challenges. ERNET’s report on Garuda’s role in developing the networked knowledge society in India highlights the role that e-Infrastructures play in accelerating development in emerging economies. The value of DEISA in the developed European economies show the perspective of intermeshing governance levels at work. As DEISA reaches out to new groups and collaborations in Europe, its resources are seen as complementary to national facilities, with applications only being made to DEISA when the circumstances warrant it. This shows an important ‘community’ added value of EU level projects.
Many other articles in this issue bring the world of e-Infrastructures to life, such as the DRIHMS project that is overseeing the uptake of e-Infrastructures for hydrometeorological research - a user community with currently low adoption rates but which stands to make qualitative leaps in its research output by using them.
As readers see the success of these ‘new user’ communities, we invite you to enjoy this issue and continue to be inspired!

Stephen Benians
BELIEF-II Project Coordinator

Download the magazine in pdf version or read the single articles clicking on the links below:

e-INFRASTRUCTURES FOSTERING ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS IN THE 21st CENTURY