Frequently Asked Questions

How will the Institute gauge its success?
Our success will be measured in terms of the success of our collaboration partners, the value derived from technology-based regional economic development initiatives, and our contribution to improvements in the ability of K12-University educational programs to motivate, produce and retain technology-savvy graduates.

Will the Institute's participation in collaborative research projects compromise or dilute intellectual property (IP) protections?
No. We are not-for profit and have no objectives to capture IP not directly derived from the Institute's own internal activities.

What are the unique services offered by the Institute that cannot be offered by individual organizations?
The primary advantage of the Institute is one of focus--focus on shared grid-based computing and collaboration services. While the various organizations served by the Institute must on their own address cyberinfrastructure support, grant application writing, and inter-disciplinary/inter-organizational collaboration as three of many tasks required for support their primary missions, the Institute can focus on these tasks as its primary concern. This frees academic and business organizations to focus their resources on their core competencies. The aggregation of systems and services associated with these critical support elements allows for economies of scale, attention to achieving and maintaining collective awareness of ongoing regional activities, and the ability to attract, train, share and retain a critical mass of uniquely skilled support and research staff essential for collaboration and mutual success.

Will the Institute have a Technology Advisory Board (TAB)?
Yes. We are presently soliciting prominent regional and national scientists and engineers to participate directly and to identify a network of domain-specific advisors.

How is the Institute funded?
The Institute is initially funded by grants from corporate foundations represented by the Board of Directors. Going forward we expect to receive financial support from 1) foundations supporting non-profit research and educational objectives, 2) government agencies funding R&D initiatives related to needs in the Industry Clusters, and 3) private contributors interested in our vision and mission and committed to regional economic development. Additionally, to the degree our efforts are successful in providing shared infrastructure and collaboration services, we anticipate that revenues derived from efficiencies resulting from the sharing of regional grid computing resources will be available to defray some Institute operating costs.

Will the Institute compete with local universities for limited federal research funding?
No. First, competition for research funding is not a zero-sum game. We expect to assist local research organizations in competing for funding from sources they are not now addressing or for projects for which they currently lack resources. Second, our goal is to offer services that add value to their individual efforts while improving collaboration with other institutions, regionally, nationally and eventually, internationally. Collaboration is hard, both within and among independent institutions. Since we are non-profit, we will provide "convener" and "secretariat" services that assist individuals from various institutions to more easily work together. In that respect, we see ourselves as a regional and neutral "Switzerland" where technology initiatives can unfold in a competition-free zone. Furthermore, we believe there are significant economic benefits derived from the sharing of information technology resources among local institutions, helping them avoid costs associated with duplication and under utilization that typically accompany independent, isolated and ostensibly competitive endeavors.