A Partnership Approach to Funding High-End Research Computing

Abstract

Providing facilities and support for excellent computational research is costly. Most college and university computing centers don't have budgets to meet these exceptional needs, yet simulation and computation play a critical role in research for many disciplines. The problem is providing high-end facilities to significantly extend the reach of one segment of a university's computing community without creating inequities in overall funding for instructional, general academic, and administrative computing. This paper presents a model for building centralized research computing facilities that emphasizes partnerships and leveraged funding. Key elements include good communication with end-user groups, correct timing, and solid partnerships with research support units in the university, external funding agencies, and vendors.