e-NMR · Deploying and unifying the NMR e-Infrastructure in System Biology

NMR plays an important role in life sciences (bio-NMR), and structural biology in particular, at both European and international levels. An I3 initiative is operative in the field, which provides access to NMR instrumentation and pursues technical advancement (EU-NMR). In addition, the EC has funded a Coordination action (NMR-Life) aimed at the establishment of common experimental approaches and at the spreading of best experimental practices across Europe. Altogether, these two initiatives provide a reference point for the large majority of European scientists with an interest in bio-NMR.<br/>In parallel, European developments in the area of Research Infrastructures in the past years resulted in a leading edge high-speed research network covering all Europe and in a overlaying production Grid infrastructure, realized by projects as EGEE/EGEE II. This integrated network and processing/storage environment – e-Infrastructure - provides a platform for new methods of global collaborative research – e-Science.<br/>The main objective of this project is to optimise and extend the use of the NMR Research Infrastructures of EU-NMR through the implementation of an e-Infrastructure in order to provide the European bio-NMR user community with a platform integrating and streamlining the computational approaches necessary for bio-NMR data analysis (e-NMR). The e-NMR infrastructure will be based on the Grid infrastructure.<br/>The project will also tackle the following objectives: i) establish a human collaboration network between the bio-NMR and the e-Infrastructure scientific communities; ii) assess the state-of-the-art of the computational aspects of bio-NMR; iii) implement and make available state-of-the-art computational methods. A broad range of networking activities will focus on monitoring, dissemination and outreach, training, hands-on workshops. The development and enforcement of operational and organizational schemes and policies will also be addressed.