Ottawa, ON (June 26, 2020) – The New Digital Research Infrastructure Organization (NDRIO) and the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) have signed an agreement for $2.86 million that will support the Portage Network’s continued contributions to national data management through stewardship platforms, services, tools, outreach and training.
This agreement, which will eventually allow for all of Portage’s federal funding to flow through NDRIO, will end on March 31, 2021. The federal contribution that currently flows through CANARIE will end on September 30, 2020.
This agreement takes us a step closer to the integration of Portage into NDRIO, and builds on work accomplished to date funded through CANARIE and Canadian research libraries.
CARL launched Portage in 2015 to contribute to the shared stewardship of research data and to address specific gaps in national research data management (RDM) infrastructure in Canada. Initiated as a library-based network, Portage now collaborates with a broad range of stakeholders and partners locally, nationally, and internationally to build capacity and to develop services and infrastructure. Over 160 experts from 60 institutions across Canada actively participate in Portage committees and infrastructure projects, with coordination provided by a national secretariat.
CARL President Jonathan Bengtson states, “CARL is proud to see Portage receive support from the Government of Canada through NDRIO. Portage fosters cooperation and coordination among a broad range of stakeholders in the development and delivery of practical RDM solutions for researchers. CARL believes such national cooperative effort is vital to the development of a strong, sustainable research data management ecosystem in Canada.”
NDRIO’s interim Executive Director George Ross states, “We look forward to working with our colleagues at CARL and the Portage Network to enhance data management solutions for Canada’s research community. This kind of collaboration is critical to the success of Canada’s Digital Research Infrastructure strategy, both at a high level and on the front lines where researchers do their work every day.”
Portage Director Jeff Moon states, “Portage and NDRIO share the same focus on serving Canadian researchers. The synergies arising from expanded collaboration in NDRIO will accelerate our collective ability to meet researchers’ needs in an increasingly complex Digital Research Infrastructure landscape.”
NDRIO is a key initiative of the national $572.5-million Digital Research Infrastructure (DRI) strategy, initiated by the Government of Canada through Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), to ensure that Canadian researchers have the digital tools they need to support scientific excellence. Through the DRI Strategy, ISED will provide up to $375 million over five years to NDRIO to coordinate funding and strategic directions for national DRI activities related to advanced research computing (ARC), data management (DM), research software (RS) and cybersecurity within the DRI ecosystem. NDRIO is providing the digital tools, support, services and infrastructure that scholars and scientists need to conduct leading-edge research that enables Canada to compete on the world stage.
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ABOUT NDRIO: The New Digital Research Infrastructure Organization (NDRIO) is a Canadian not-for-profit organization that supports a researcher-focused, accountable, agile, strategic and sustainable Digital Research Infrastructure (DRI) ecosystem. Established in 2019, NDRIO works with partners and stakeholders across Canada to give scholars and scientists the digital tools, support, services and infrastructure they need to conduct leading-edge research that benefits society and competes globally. NDRIO’s membership is composed of more than 135 of Canada’s top universities, colleges, research hospitals and institutes, and other leading organizations in the DRI space. Visit engagedri.ca
ABOUT CARL: CARL provides leadership on behalf of Canada’s 31 research libraries, enhancing their capacity to advance research and higher education. It promotes effective and sustainable knowledge creation, dissemination, and preservation, and advocates for public policy that enables broad access to scholarly information. For more information, please do not hesitate to contact Portage at the following email address portage@carl-abrc.ca
Media Contacts:
Heather MacLean
Communications Advisor, NDRIO
heather.maclean@engagedri.ca
506-608-5629
Susan Haigh
Executive Director, CARL
susan.haigh@carl-abrc.ca
Jeff Moon
Director, Portage Network
portagedir@carl-abrc.ca