Highlights of Research Infrastructure’s

Policy in Argentina

Phd Sergio MatheosUndersecretary of Institutional Coordination

NCP Mincyt European Research Infrastructures

Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovative Production Workshop sobre Infraestructuras de Investigación (RI) - e-Infraestructuras (e-RI) de la Unión Europea

Horizonte 2020 y otras iniciativas de colaboración International

Buenos Aires, Argentina – March 12th 2015

Introduction

• In order to be part of the global scientific community and participate in frontier knowledge production, our researchers need access to big S&T facilities, high cost instrumental and large data bases.

• The requirement for making this come true is the actual possibility to have access to advanced network connectivity.

Background• Until the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovative

Production (MinCyT) was created, the building of a big facility or the buying of large equipment may have responded to very valuable objectives, but they didn’t follow any integrated pattern towards a national S&T development plan. Although we are not even close to claim having accomplished the mission, some clear and firm steps have been taken in that direction.

• In 2012 the design of the National Plan of Science and Technology “Argentina 2020” was completed. It establishes, among others:– the impulse of transversal facilities (such as big facilities, big instruments,

data bases and e-library) as a means for the articulation of the national scientific system; and

– the ICTs as priority technologies

Index

I. Coordination of Argentina’s participation in Big facilities’ projects.II. Optimization in the use of Large Instruments purchased with public fundsIII. Databases and Digital Repositories National System-National Law Stating creation of National Institutional Repositories for Open Access

IV. S&T e-libraryV. Strengthening of the National Research and Education Network of Argentina – InnovaRed

I. Coordination of Argentina’s participation in Big Facilities’ projects

• 2010. Creation of a plural Advisory Council, composed by representatives of the institutions of S&T and Universities.

• Development of an evaluation framework, considering the following variables: – contribution to scientific and technological production, – impact on training of Human Resources, and – economic and social outcomes.

• 2011. Evaluation of projects of participation in different new or existent S&T Big Facilities regarding Astronomy and Universe Sciences.

• 2012. Evaluation of projects of participation in different new or existent S&T Big Facilities of any kind.

The following are some of the Big Facilities whose support was recommended:

Installation and operation of an antenna for millimeter and submillimeter astronomy, at a site in northwestern Argentina located above 4,800 m.a.s.l. LLAMA will have a 12 m diameter antenna, similar to those of ALMA.

• Joint project with the Federal Republic of Brazil

• Project cost for Argentina: U$S 8.000.000

• Pre investment phase (already funded): U$S 150.000

• Investment phase (already funded): U$S 193.000

LLAMA (Long Latin American Millimetre Array)

GEMINI Observatory

Participation with 3.2% of observing time on the International GEMINI consortium consisting of two telescopes of 8.1 meters in diameter covering both hemispheres of the sky, at Cerro Pachon (Chile) in the south and on the island of Hawaii (USA) in the north.

The members of the GEMINI consortium are the USA, Canada, Australia, Brasil, Chile and Argentina.

• Anual cost for Argentina: U$S 1.100.000

Installation of a telescope of 1.5 m diameter with remote operation capability, dedicated to observe in the near and mid infrared, located in the Cerro Macon, in the Puna of Salta, at 4650 m asl.

- Joint project with the Federal Republic of Brazil.

- Project cost for Argentina: U$S 300.000

- Pre investment phase (already funded): U$S 30.000

- Investment phase (already funded): U$S 170.000

ABRASArgentine-Brazilian Astronomical Center

CHINA ARGENTINA RADIOTELESCOPE - CART

Joint project China - Argentina

Antenna diameter: 40 mWeight: 1000 tons Tray: full reflective surface Frequency: 1 to 43 GHz

Place: San Juan Province

Total cost: $ 17 MMinCyT contribution: $1,5 MArgentina contribution: $ 7 M

Estimated completion time: 2017

ANDES underground laboratory Project: Building of an underground laboratory of 4000 m2 of ground surface in Agua Negra tunnel between San Juan Prov. (Argentina) and Coquimbo Region (Chile). This location ensures maximum rock thickness of over 1750 m for better protection from cosmic radiation.

• Estimated cost of the laboratory without equipment: U$S 20.000.000

Multipurpose Research Nuclear Reactor – RA-10

- Radioisotope production-Testing of new fuels and nuclear materials-Neutron beams

The application of advanced neutron techniques based on the use of thermal and cold neutrons contribute to basic research and technological applications in the field of:

• nuclear engineering, • materials science, • nuclear medicine, • reactor physics, • condensed matter physics, • chemistry and • biology.

MinCyT is working on the organization of the users community of neutron beams.

SAC-D / AQUARIUS SATELLITE

Collaboration between Argentine National Commission on Space Activities (CONAE) and the NASA

Launched: 2011

Budget: $ 60 M

Scientific mission oriented to obtain climatic information through measuring salinity level, and a new vision of circulation and mixing processes in the ocean as well as detecting foci of high temperature in the earth surface in order to get maps of fire hazard and soil moisture which will allow early warnings of floods.

MinCyT is financing 15 research proyects

COSMIC RAYS OBSERVATORY PIERRE AUGER

Located in Malargüe, Mendoza Province (Argentina)• 18 countries• 100 institutions• 500 scientists, engineers, technicians• Budget: $ 53 M• Extension: 3000 km2 of flat surface• Altitude: 1200 to 1400 m.a.s.l.

Hybrid System: • 1600 surface detectors • 24 fluorescence telescopes in 4 buildings• Particle Astronomy

II. Optimization of Large Instruments Purchased with Public Funds

Aims:

- To optimize the use of large equipment with scientific purposes.

- To generate information on the use, location, age and needs for decision making for future purchases, renewal and/or geographical redistribution.

Funding lines:-Purchase of complementary equipment-Improvement / updating.-Human resources training

Already Funded: u$ 5 M

II. Optimization of Large Instruments Purchased with Public Funds

National Systems of:• Microscopy• Magnetic Resonance• HPC• Mass Spectrometry• X-rays• Lasers• Magnetometry• Vivarium / biotery (Laboratory animals)• Flow Cytometry

One of the requirement for the joining process is to complete a detailed survey about the characteristics of the Centre and about its equipment or its sets of data.

This information is used by MINCyT and its different Advisory Councils for diagnosis, detection of needs and problems in each area.

Joining process survey allows:• Decisions making• Strategic planning• Turns management software (large instruments)• Map of services• Training planning• Indicators generation

JOINING PROCESS APPLY

239 member centers - 408 instruments joined

MAPS OF SERVICES

TURNS/QUEUE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

III. Databases and Digital RepositoriesNational System

Aims:• To give access to raw data, products, outputs and publications resulting from national research through interoperable portals.• To give national and international visibility to the Argentinian scientific production

Funding lines - Strengthening Databases (Computers, Servers, software, digitization)- Human resources training.- Promotion for the creation of new repositories

Creation of data portals and repositoriesTraining of providers and administrators nodes

Online Process for Accession of Centers to National Systems: 84 member centers. 238 Data Bases + 40.000 Digital Objects

U$ 1,2 M already funded

III. Databases and Digital RepositoriesNational System

National Systems of:

•Biological Data

•Sea Data

•Climatic Data

•Digital Repositories

•Advanced Network

•Genomic Data

Biologycal Data PortalThe SNDB portal was

structured on the basis

of the GBIF (Global

Biodiversity Information

Facility) portal, an

international facility for

the publication of

biological data of which

Argentina is a founding

member since 2000.

Sea Data PortalThe portal was structured according to Ocean Data Portal (ODP) patterns, belonging to the International Exchange Program for Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC-UNESCO).

Digital Repositories National System’s

Portal was structured on the basis of D-NET

Platform (OpenAIRE) with the cooperation of CNR-ISTI (Italy),

University of Athens (Greece) and University of

Bielefeld (Germany)

48 centers SNDB (201 collections)

9 centers SNDM (37 data sets)

Two disciplinary portals to access data

Funding lines for capacity building

Results of creating the Data National Systems

31 member repositories within Digital Repositories National System (SNRD)

8 repositories harvested and exposed in the SNRD Portal

Over 40.000 digital objects in full text accessible from the SNRD Portal

Main dictates of the law 26.899Creating Digital Institutional Open Access

Repositories

• Creation of interoperable repositories with scientific and

technological production

• Deposit of works and data by researchers in institutional

repositories

• Future research funding linked (conditioned) to the

publication in Open Access

Promotion of open access to scientific research outputs (Data and information)

• Creation of Biological Information National System (SNDB)• Creation of Sea Data National System (SNDM).• Launch of the National Biological Information Portal.• Association with IDB project “Federated Net of Regional

Scientific Documentation Repositories”: 8 Latin American countries.

• COAR membership (World Confederation of Open Access Repositories).

• Presentation of the Draft Law “Argentina Open Science 2010” before the Honorable Congress of the Nation.

2009

2010

• Creation of the National Digital Repositories (SNRD).• IV edition of SCBIILA (Seminary of Italo-Ibero-Latin

American Library Consortia).• Congress granted preliminary approval to the bill.• Sign of LA REFERENCIA with 9 countries of the region• Launch Data Portal del Mar• Congress approves the project. Enactment of Law

26.899• Launch of the SNRD Portal.• Creation of the Genomic Data National System • Implementation of law

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

Promotion to open access… (cont.)

IV. Science & Technology Electronic LibraryThe SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY e-LIBRARY is a fully online collection for researchers.

The e-Library provides to its users nationwide: - Fulltext peer-review articles in all the areas of knowledge.- Reference databases and abstracts.

It aims to satisfy the need of information of the scientific community of Argentina.

BENEFITS OF A NATIONAL LICENSE- Equitable access to scientific and technological information.- Avoiding double purchase in the same country.- Resources economy and optimization.

:

E-Library SUBSCRIPTIONSE-Library SUBSCRIPTIONS

V. Strengthening of the National Research and Education Network of Argentina -InnovaRed-

InnovaRed is the National Advanced Network for the exclusive use of the

academic and scientific community of Argentina. It provides connectivity to:

• 13 Public Research Centres

• 42 National Public Universities

• 4 Private Universities

• The Pierre Auger Observatory and the Deep Space 3 (DS3) station of the

European Space Agency (ESA).

InnovaRed is a member of the LatinAmerican Advanced Network

RedCLARA, through which it connects with GEANT, INTERNET2, APAN,

CANARIE, among others.

E-Science National Plan

• Connectivity - InnovaRed

• Supercomputing capacity - Supercomputer

• Mass data storage

• Management Board

• HR Training (SNCAD / SNRA)

• Financing instrument for funding e-science projects (MINCYT-

ANPCyT)