Advancing research, innovation and creation in Ontario
Compute Ontario works with provincial and national partners to coordinate Digital Research Infrastructure (DRI) funding, skill development, and operations. Our goal is to ensure that Ontario researchers and their industry partners have access to crucial digital resources to achieve their research and creation goals, within a thriving DRI ecosystem that is sustainably funded and technologically sound.
What is DRI?
Digital Research Infrastructure (DRI) is the ecosystem of compute and data storage, high speed networks, experts and software that powers artificial intelligence, advanced research and high-tech industry. DRI-based research is being applied in every field, from the design of next-generation materials and cancer treatments to film and media creation, curation and preservation. DRI-based research fuels profitable academic-industry joint ventures, innovative tech start-ups and the transformation of sectors such as mining and manufacturing — creating significant economic benefit and building/attracting expert talent to the province.
Ontario’s DRI is funded by the provincial and federal governments, with contributions from Ontario universities. Services in Ontario are delivered by four consortia of academic and health institutions.
News and Announcements
Anila Dumont
Andrea England
CO Welcomes New Board Members
August 29, 2024
Compute Ontario is delighted to announce the addition of three new Directors to our Board. Anila Dumont, Andrea England and Jennifer MacLean bring a deep understanding of the ecosystem surrounding technology-enabled research and innovation in Ontario. Their exceptional skills will be invaluable as we continue working to strengthen the Digital Resource Infrastructure (DRI) ecosystem through collaboration and partnership:
Anila Dumont is a senior lawyer with specialized legal and regulatory expertise advising in digital initiatives and innovation including artificial intelligence and data privacy and governance. She holds a Juris Doctor from Osgoode Hall Law School, a Master’s degree in Public Policy & Governance and an Honours Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto.
Andrea England, Vice-Provost, Research at Sheridan College, provides leadership to Generator at Sheridan, overseeing research, innovation and entrepreneurship across Sheridan’s three campuses. Andrea holds a Master of Arts (Book History) from the University of Toronto.
Jennifer MacLean is a Canadian innovation thought leader. She holds a PhD in medical biophysics from Western University and brings deep experience in fostering impactful and collaborative partnerships across industry, academia and community, currently as Partnerships Lead for Unilever’s Horizon3 AI Lab.
In addition to Anila, Andrea and Jennifer, our Board includes a strong mix of academic and industry leaders working in the research, innovation and collaboration space. We are grateful, as always, for the expertise and support of our Board and warmly welcome Anila, Andrea and Jennifer to the table.
Jennifer MacLean
New DRI Training Resources Available
August 21, 2024
The DRI community has created a series of new open educational resources to support researchers, students and those in research support roles. These courses offer a range of learning opportunities in the areas of research software (RS) stewardship, research data management (RDM) and artificial intelligence:
Advanced Research Computing for Computational Fluid Dynamics (ARC4CFD) is an introductory course created by the University of Waterloo and intended for researchers with basic knowledge of fluid dynamics/computational fluid dynamics.
Conestoga College led an inter-college team in creating Research Data Management in the College and Small Institution Context: four education modules which introduce intermediate RDM concepts to researchers and College/University staff who work in research support roles. These materials are available in English and French for institutions to use or repurpose.
The Data Repository Primer and Data Repository Navigator, developed by Toronto Metropolitan University, are designed to help researchers in all contexts to understand best practices in RDM and data deposit, and to select an appropriate data repository for their research.
University of Ottawa Heart Institute has created a set of 4 Data Management Plan templates for specific biomedical research designs (trials, reviews, preclinical research, genomics data) and a draft consent template that can be used by researchers to set their data up for open or restricted access sharing.
The Machine Learning Tutorial Series, put together by a team from University of Ottawa, includes four modules designed to provide a structured learning experience, combining theoretical explanations with hands-on exercises to reinforce understanding, using real datasets from open resources. Additional modules are forthcoming.
McMaster University has released Stewarding Research Software from Proposal to Deposit and Publication to help researchers and students understand FAIR principles, develop a software management plan, choose technical/coding strategies to enhance reproducibility and build a computing site using Minima.
Compute Ontario is pleased to have contributed funding toward these projects, as part of our mandate to ensure researchers and students have access to training in the core skills required for successful digitally enabled research.
MCU announcement is good news for Ontario researchers who rely on DRI
FEBRUARY 26, 2024 Jill Dunlop, Minister of Colleges and Universities, announced today that the Ontario government will invest $65.4 million to support critical Digital Research Infrastructure (DRI) resources for Ontario researchers, including $47.4 million for the infrastructure refresh of Ontario’s Advanced Research Computing (ARC) systems and $18 million for their ongoing operations and maintenance.
Today’s announcement affirms the Ministry of Colleges and University’s commitment to ensuring that Ontario researchers continue to have ready access to crucial Digital Research Infrastructure (DRI) including advanced computing systems, training and technical support. DRI resources are vital to computationally intensive research using artificial intelligence and machine learning, in fields such as genetics, drug design and sustainable energy.
The research and innovation potential enabled by DRI continues to generate national and international collaborations, scale high-tech businesses, develop new products, and increase Canada’s competitiveness on a global scale. In the past year alone, Ontario’s shared DRI has supported more than 6,000 users, provided skill development to nearly 4,000 trainees and supported more than 800 collaborations with industry. Ontario’s DRI ecosystem has also enabled the launch of 253 new companies and supported 338 patent applications over the last five years.
With the funding announced today, the Government of Ontario is making a strategic investment that will fuel Ontario’s ability to fully become a true global hub for technology development, commercialization, and biomanufacturing.
The full text of the announcement can be found here.
Compute Ontario Awards Funding to Create DRI Training Resources
FEBRUARY 12, 2024 We’re pleased to announce that six collaborative teams will receive funding support for projects to create new DRI training materials and resources. A total of $254,000 has been allocated for these projects, which will enhance training in DRI skills for Ontario researchers and students. The projects were selected through a call for proposals, issued in September. Responses were selected based on alignment with related regional and national priorities, as well as other criteria including feasibility and impact.