Research IT

Help Shape the Future of Research IT

We are looking for members of the new Research IT Academic Advisory Group (RITAAG), from PhD researchers to senior academics and PS staff.

What is RITAAG?

Provision of computational hardware resource, training and staff relies on understanding user needs across the University. It can be difficult to know how to communicate your own needs, or those of your colleagues, to broader University support mechanisms.

This is where the Research IT Academic Advisory Group (RITAAG) will be key. RITAAG will be the key sounding board connecting researchers and the direction and operation of Research IT. It will be the primary route for giving a strong and coherent voice for the academic research community in the operation, development, and implementation of the Universities IT Strategy for Research. Indeed, RITAAG reports directly to the Research IT Strategy Change and Management Board (RITSCMB).

By representing your area of research, and that of your colleagues, RITAAG will have a leading role in ensuring that a full range of opinion is brought to bear in the development and implementation of the Research Lifecycle and future investments.

How will RITAAG work?

Recently we created the Computation and Data in Research (CaDiR) community, an online Microsoft Teams space that exposes and amalgamates all of the exciting interest groups from across the University. CaDiR, however, is not a strategic or strategy-setting group, but an attempt to engage the research community around technology and practice in a domain agnostic setting. Following on from this, we now want to create that strategy-setting group. This is the role of RITAAG. Specifically, the primary functions of the Group will be to:

  • Oversee and audit the use of Research IT platforms and services to ensure fair allocation of resources and resolve contention where required.
  • Articulate the current and future IT needs of researchers, both at UoM and their external collaborators.
  • Ensure that the products and services offered by Research IT align to the strategic research goals of the University and those provided by funding bodies in the immediate and longer term.
  • Ensure that any plans deliver operationally to raise the capabilities available for researchers.
  • Sustain an active and united Research Computing Community by organising events for a wide range of users and stakeholders across the University.

A term in RITAAG will last for 2 years and will meet once every 2 months, starting in September this year. Alongside an acting chair, the Head of Research IT and e-research faculty leads, we aim to have representation from each of the following groups:

  • PhD students
  • Postdoctoral researchers
  • Academic staff (from lecturer to professor)
  • Research IT staff
  • Library staff
  • PS staff (outside of Research IT and the Library)

If you feel you can help, please fill complete this form, including no more than 500 words on how you think Research IT can help enable research and how you feel you can support Research IT and your colleagues. Once completed please email your form to Gillian Sinclair, Research IT Relationship Manager before 30th August. For more information about the group, please email Prof David Topping and Robert Haines.