Stimulating and Supporting (Sustained) Collaborations

NSF Workshop on Effective Engagement and Collaboration of US CISE - China Researchers

Peter Arzberger24 May 2011

Perspective

• NSF– CISE– BIO– MPS

• Outside of NSF– PRAGMA– PRIME– GLEON– Exchange Student

How to Build Sustainable and Expandable Collaborations?

• Key research areas• Mechanisms• Approaches• Resources (funding)

In an international context!

• “The Government should accept new responsibilities for promoting the flow of new scientific knowledge and the development of scientific talent in our youth. These responsibilities are the proper concern of the Government, for they vitally affect our health, our jobs, and our national security.”• "to promote the progress of

science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense…"

National Science Foundation

Where Discovery Begins

Trends Affecting Science and Society

• Data: Increasing amounts, complexity, distribution of sources

• Information Technology: Pervasiveness in science and society; Changing business and social models

• Education: Declining enrollments in computer science; Lack of computational thinking

• Societal Impact: Increasing demands to address global society problems

• Global Science: Distribution of science changing, more distributed

NSF OrganizationMulti-disciplinary

Directorate for Biological Sciences

Directorate for Computer and InformationScience and Engineering Directorate for Education andHuman Resources

Directorate for Engineering

Directorate for Geosciences

Directorate for Mathematical andPhysical Sciences Directorate for Social, BehavioralAnd Economic Sciences

Office of the Director

OPP

OISE

OCI

OIA

NSB

CISE Mission Exploring the frontiers of computing

CCFComputing andCommunicationsFoundations

CNSComputer andNetworkSystems

IISInformation andIntelligentSystems

Office of theAssistant Directorfor CISE

Software and Hardware Foundations

Communication and Information Foundations

Algorithmic Foundations

Computer Systems Research

Robust Intelligence

Information Integration and Informatics

Human-Centered Computing

CORE

PRO

GRA

MS

Networking Technology and Systems

Education and Workforce

~ 70-75% of CISE Budget in Core Programs

NSF-Wide Activities in FY12Depend on CISE Research

• Science, Engineering, and Education for Sustainability– Generating discoveries and building

capacity to achieve an environmentally and economically sustainable future

• CI Framework for the 21st Century– Developing and deploying

cyberinfrastructure for 21st century science and society

Scientific Software Elements:Small groups, individuals

Scientific Software Integration:Research Communities

Scientific Software Innovation Institutes:Large Multidisciplinary GroupsMulti-year

SI2

CISE Activities in FY12 Driving Economic Growth, Benefiting Society

• Smart Health and Wellbeing– Improving health care knowledge,

delivery, and quality of life through IT– Howard Wactlar, involves SBE, ENG

• Cyberphysical Systems (CPS)– Integrating computational intelligence

and physical systems that develop capabilities critical to U.S. security, healthcare, transportation, and advanced manufacturing

– Keith Marzullo; involves ENG

CISE and IT Innovation in FY12 Exploring the frontiers of computing

• Cybersecurity Research– Developing the science of cybersecurity and the market-based

incentives– Keith Marzullo; involves OCI and SBE

• Science and Engineering Beyond Moore’s Law– Exploring and creating new paradigms for computing, new applications

in advanced manufacturing– Susanne Hambrusch; involves MPS, ENG, OCI

• National Robotics Initiative– Developing next generation co-robots working alongside humans for

manufacturing, healthcare, learning and security– Howard Wactlar; involves ENG and other agencies

• Enhancing Access to Radio Spectrum– Using spectrum, a limited resource, more efficiently– Keith Marzullo, involves MPS, ENG, SBE

Creating the Next Generation

• Computing Education for the 21st Century (CE21)– Transforming K-14 education to

create a next generation of students engaged and prepared to major in computing and computationally-intensive disciplines

– Keith Marzullo, involves EHR and OCI

• Cyberlearning: Transforming Education (CTE)– Designing and using technologies to

aid and understand learning– Howard Wactlar, involves HER, SBE,

OCI

Data source: HERI; Figure: NCWIT

% Freshman Interested In CS

CISE Mission Exploring the frontiers of computing

CCFComputing andCommunicationsFoundations

CNSComputer andNetworkSystems

IISInformation andIntelligentSystems

Office of theAssistant Directorfor CISE

Software and Hardware Foundations

Communication and Information Foundations

Algorithmic Foundations

Computer Systems Research

Robust Intelligence

Information Integration and Informatics

Human-Centered Computing

CORE

PRO

GRA

MS

Networking Technology and Systems

Education and Workforce

~ 70-75% of CISE Budget in Core Programs

Why collaborate internationally?

• Problems inherently international– Environment, Health, …

• Access to unique resources and expertise– People, Testbeds, Local Phenomena

• Knowledge, Networks and Nations: Global scientific collaborations in the 21st Century (Royal Society)– Primary Driver: Access to scientists– National Driver: Enhance quality of domestic science,

absorb expertise and ideas, share risks, pool resources

Value Proposition for International Collaboration (Proposed)

• Return on investment is bigger than or equal to the amount of investment

• Some values of international collaboration– Accelerates progress by working with people, ideas,

infrastructure– Creates better outcomes (more efficient, more robust)– Affects a broader impact (reaches more people, more

enduring)– Adds critical expertise to project– Provides unique training and research experiences for

students– Provides access to and sharing of unique resources

International Collaboration & OISE Cofunding*

• True intellectual collaboration with foreign research partner (Foreign partner's 2-pg biosketch & communication outlining project role must be included. If foreign institution will provide resources, also include an endorsement letter from the foreign institution.)

• New international collaborations, as opposed to well-established ones;

• Clear benefit to U.S. science/engineering community from expertise, facilities, or resources of the foreign collaborator; and

• Active research engagement of U.S. students and junior researchers at the foreign site.

* OISE Web Site

Requirements in Collaborations

• All participants benefit

• All collaborators have the resources to collaborate

• Understand the motivation to collaborate

What’s Up With Culture?

• Culture matters– Disagreement with an idea is not disagreement with a

person

• Expectations may be different– Sharing data– Developing software– Joint publications

• Expectations on “collaborating” may be different

• On-Line Cultural Training Resource for Study Abroad– http://www2.pacific.edu/sis/culture/

Research Coordination Network

• Builds communities through– Opportunity to map out new research directions– Mechanism to grow participants– Long-term funding (5 years)

• Almost all fields funded by NSF• Good model: Global Lake Ecological Observatory

Network– International, strong student leadership, new science

• Mechanism used in SEES activities– And could be used in many other areas (e.g. CPS)

• Component of Dimensions of Biodiversity– NSFC a partner

NSF Collaboration-Mechanism Spectrum

Instilling International Collaboration

Creating Connections

Building Collaborations

Funding Burgeoning Research

Collaborations

EAPSIIRESREUPIRE

WorkshopsASI

CNIC

RCNPIRECNIC

EAGERUnsolicited

Core

International Collaboration is a responsibility of the Directorate

Investments in international need to be strategic

OISE is a partner to build bridges with funding partners

Why China?

• Rate of growth of investments in research• Increasing emphasis in IT• China has already overtaken the UK as the second

leading producer of research publications• A great nation – need to be part of solution to larger

issues• Many other reasons

Challenges

• Sustaining Collaborations– What are the mechanisms?

• (Virtual) International Centers– What would these be able to do? How would they be

“organized” and funded?– Some examples in the Nordic countries

• Multilaterial agreements• IP

Challenges to Workshop Participants

• What are strategic areas for investment?• International activities and collaboration should be embedded in

national science and innovation strategies so that the domestic science base is best placed to benefit from the intellectual and financial leverage of international partnerships. (Royal Society)

• What is the value (added) for collaborating internationally? What is the value proposition?

• Why China?• What are the challenges (including cultural)?• What mechanisms can be used to stimulate and sustain

collaborations? (think outside of the box, e.g. “Center”)• What are next steps?

Success and Beyond

• Greater number of joint (bi-lateral, multi-lateral) activities

• Interest in being program officer or division director

• 谢谢