Our services

Servicing your non-standard ICT needs

The eResearch Office supports your research by developing innovative software, providing collaboration spaces and sandpits, improving access to quality data, accelerate research processes and in some cases provide support to secure research funding.

The eResearch Office aims to educate and support researchers in eResearch technologies, platforms and tools for use in research projects.

Information Technology Services (ITS) support RMIT’s implementation and use of mainstream technology in standard operating environments for large numbers of users (staff and students). RMIT researchers and their national and international collaborators, however, rely increasingly on advanced non-standard operating environments tailored to specific research disciplines, emerging from major research organisations or open-source communities.

Advanced research infrastructures, equipment and facilities are becoming more software-intensive, incorporating user-defined capabilities and customisation to discipline-specific or lab-specific research workflows. Bespoke software platforms on a variety of operating systems can be tailored for niche research communities. eResearch at RMIT works with eResearch organisations in other institutes to facilitate sharing of research instruments, advanced infrastructures and research data beyond the mainstream technology typically supported by ITS.

Our team draws on expertise in:

• data management: compliance, storage and access
• high-performance computing
• computational platforms
• advanced visualisation and collaboration services and tools
• software solutions
• data research funding

The eResearch Office, jointly with ITS and the Library, has developed a research storage plan consisting of robust networks with accessibility to high-performance computing resources and secure data curation for academics and postgraduate research students.

Fostering collaborative research networks

The eResearch Office supports collaborative networks, research projects and partnerships, maximising our shared resources and opportunities for multi-disciplinary engagements within and across institutions.

We help researchers connect and build networks with Information and Communications Technology (ICT) experts, to apply ICT to new areas and to spread their eResearch skills and resources into the broader research community.

We forge extensive research links between our researchers and the eResearch community [link: community of practice], providing opportunities and collaborations through our broad networks at a national and international level.

These connections enable researchers to use their ICT-related work in new and innovative areas and can assist the technology transfer of eResearch ICT developed at RMIT the RMIT and broader research community.

Delivering externally funded projects

The eResearch Office assist with identifying funding for research infrastructure and software projects, including grants from Federal and Victorian Governments and partner universities.

We collaborate with researchers on grant proposals with the researcher providing the discipline-specific aspects (e.g. computational physics or cinematography) and the eResearch Office providing the software-engineering aspects for the research project.

Past and current projects can often be integrated into customised open-source and in-house software packages for broader and more sustainable use.

Government funding

Some of the grant schemes for research infrastructure and software to date have included:

• Australian National Data Services (ANDS)
• National eResearch Collaboration Tools and Resources (NeCTAR)
• Education Investment Fund (EIF)
• ARC Linkage Infrastructure Equipment and Facilities (LIEF)
• Victorian Government Digital Futures Fund.

To find out more about research funding opportunities, visit the Research Alert website or email eresearch@rmit.edu.au.