Obsolescence is a problem that plagues many research institutions, as project after project purchase individual computing resources which quickly go out of date. One possible way forward is to turn to cloud based computing and storage using providers such as Amazon or CloudR, whereby data and computation can be done on the cloud and off premises. Has anyone successfully convinced a funding agency to approve funding for such cloud based resources?
Finland has established FORGE, an innovative publicly funded service laboratory that provides cloud computing resources for research purposes. Besides research, "all who are interested in developing digital services e.g. businesses, educational institutions, business development teams, the public sector – all industries and government sectors" can apply for using the services. Startups, for instance, could directly use massive resources if they need them. I think that the FORGE concept could be transferred to other countries as well. You can find more information here:
http://www.digile.fi/forgeservicelab
I agree Nevrus. Are there any work done in Michigan-Dearborn using cloud based computing resources?
Jurgen, thank you for the reply. This is indeed a good use case for other countries to consider. I think with the involvement of commercial partners the gap between research and commercially viable development can be cut short indeed.
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