Director's Report
Looking back, 2018 was a year of consolidation for NeSI together with our partners the University of Auckland, NIWA, University of Otago and Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research.
- We now have the underpinning infrastructure to support a new era of advanced computational research in New Zealand.
- We’ve revisited our partnerships, seeking stronger alignment with our collaborators, science communities, and our science agency to enable our shared ambitions.
- We’ve reviewed eResearch ecosystems across comparator science systems internationally, and are arriving at an ambitious vision for our science sector, powered by NeSI.
A new era of advanced computational research
Working in partnership with global HPC and AI leader Cray, we’ve created the most advanced, creative and high-performance computing and data platform for science ever seen in New Zealand. Together we’ve connected communities and integrated technologies to create a truly innovative and powerful environment for research at the leading edge of capability internationally.
Across 2018 we maintained our strong position and reputation for focusing on researchers' needs, while identifying key pain points in their computational journeys. Our challenge from here is to take these advanced technologies and deliver them more effectively to New Zealand scientists, to enable a shift in the horizons and frontiers of science, and to lift science excellence and impact.
A strengthened partnership to enable our ambitions
Looking back across the year and the preceding years with our partners, it is clear in retrospect that NeSI has grown beyond its initial ambitions. Working with our science communities, we’ve sought out and responded to the challenges and needs of researchers, and in doing so adapted NeSI to be better able to support their science. Working together as a partnership we’ve evolved NeSI, in significant part by enhancing the existing expert capabilities of our partners for the benefit of the science system as a whole.
As with any partnership it is important to stay close, to recognise and respect the heritage and capabilities each offers, and to map out a sustainable pathway to realising our shared ambitions. In short, NeSI and its partners see a renewed and more strategic commitment to the partnership as an essential underpinning to our ongoing successes.
An ambitious vision for our science sector, powered by NeSI
As the year closes, our vision for the future is shaping up as we lay out our longer term strategies. We’ll continue to work alongside MBIE’s SSIF team across 2019 to inform policy directions as they look to provide a roadmap for future eResearch investments in the sector.
Meanwhile, we’re facilitating a discussion with local and international experts, and shining light into the current health of our eResearch ecosystems. Across this ecosystem we’ve mapped where NeSI has been, and where we see major risks, challenges, gaps, and opportunities in our current situation. This informs our future strategies, underpinning how we position NeSI as a facilitator of sector transformation in adopting advanced computational technologies.
Nick Jones
Director
