Cybera Inc Formed to Support Alberta ICT Research
07/25/2007
Calgary, AB (July 25, 2007) – A new provincial organization is being created to strengthen Alberta-based opportunities for research discoveries and public-private partnerships. The not-for-profit organization, known as Cybera Inc., will facilitate access to Information and Communications Technology (ICT) resources, often referred to as Cyberinfrastructure (CI). This includes existing ICT tools around the province as well as new resources acquired through partnerships with Alberta’s four universities, other public and private sector partners, and Netera Alliance – which maintains Alberta’s high-speed, high-bandwidth research network.
“The new organization will lead provincial efforts to deliver integrated services and solutions to Alberta researchers tackling complex, global research problems in areas such as energy, life sciences, nanotechnology and ICT,” said Ken Hewitt, interim president of Cybera. “This project is the first of its kind in Canada and aligns Alberta’s technical expertise and leading edge resources with international approaches to large-scale scientific challenges that now dominate many research disciplines.”
Five key service areas highlight the recently released Cybera Business Plan. These services include network connectivity, grid middleware solutions, consulting and technical support, project management, and training and outreach. Pilot projects in both the academic and industry sectors will bolster researcher access to these services and to provincial research infrastructure and technological expertise. Cybera is a new organization built from the foundation established by Netera Alliance. Netera staff and operations will complete a full transition into Cybera by fall of this year. Cybera will assume project management responsibilities for WestGrid on behalf of Netera.
This initiative is a culmination of work that began in April 2005 when stakeholders initiated a province-wide Cyberinfrastructure Task Force. The task force included representation from the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR), Alberta Ingenuity, the Informatics Circle of Research Excellence (iCORE), the Ministry of Advanced Education and Technology, WestGrid (Western Canada Research Grid), Netera Alliance, the Universities of Alberta, Calgary and Lethbridge, and Athabasca University.
