UK Themes for Joint Programming in Europe

1. UK Themes for Joint Programming in Europe Dr Sophie Laurie RCUK

2. What does the UK want from Joint Programming? • Excellent research • Coherence – building the ERA • Collaboration – in design and execution • Alignment with current and anticipated national priorities

3. Choice of themes • High level consultation with UK stakeholders • With ministerial approval • Level of detail to be developed with interested parties

4. Concept • Joint Programming = sharing the burden in research to cope effectively and efficiently with the challenges • Integrated and co-ordinated but not homogeneous • International interdisciplinary research • Enables a great leap forward - benefits to all involved

5. Suggested themes • Development of scientific software for petascale computing and beyond. • proposing members: UK • Other interest: PRACE members • Food Security: Sustainable crop and livestock production • proposing members: UK • Other interest: France, Spain, Germany, Ireland, Sweden (EURAGRI discussion Sept 09, SCAR)

6. Software for Petascale Computing • Scale and rate of development of hardware is not matched by development of software to allow realisation of potential • Software programmes long-lived - effort to generate new software immense e.g. estimate 200 person years of effort to develop a new unified model for climate change research. • Some codes used in other research areas have developed over 20 years

7. Proposing GPC members • UK (RCUK) • Interested parties: other PRACE members (16 partners signed MoU)

8. Objectives and Research Challenges Develop new scientific applications software for simulation and modelling studies in key disciplines. • Challenges are wide ranging and could include; • modelling climate change • modelling the structural integrity and design of materials and components for energy efficiency e.g. in aerospace, in fuel cells • understanding fundamental atomic and molecular structures which influence material properties and drug design • modelling the human physiome

9. Research Approaches • Developing new algorithms and novel software • Bringing together expertise in mathematics and computer science with researchers in other disciplines - addressing challenging problems open to modelling and simulation

10. Added value, benefits and impact • Increase knowledge base • Reduce cost to industry of e.g. developing new components - increases competitiveness • Provide EU critical mass for global effort • Discussions with USA and Japan already underway for an international project focused on software for petascale and exascale . • Enable greater European lead on the global level and potentially provide greater opportunities for commercialisation of software within Europe.

11. Governance • Building on existing partnership • A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop European computing was agreed in April 2007 and to date 16 countries from the EU have signed the memorandum • ESFRI preparatory phase project (50% funded by the EC) looking at developing a Partnership for Advanced computing in Europe (PRACE). Infrastructure of advanced computing hardware

12. Food Security - sustainable crop and livestock production • Thanks to others for introducing this issue today • Global demand for food is expected to increase by 50% by 2030 and 100% by 2050 • Increase in food supply to meet this demand must be sustainable • No quick solutions – e.g.10 years to get plant science from lab bench to crop in field • Issue made more complicated by climate change

13. Proposing GPC members • UK (BBSRC) • France (INRA/CIRAD) • Interest from Spain, Germany, Ireland and Sweden • Discussion in other fora e.g. EURAGRI, SCAR – further opportunities for development

14. Objectives and research questions Determine what research is needed to address the problem • Development and promotion of highly innovative breakthrough technologies • Tailoring production technologies and developing and implementing specific solutions at the systems and policy levels

15. Breakthrough technologies • Focus on crop and livestock production • Using understanding of model and native species • Genomic and genetic technologies • Maths and computational approaches - predictive • Integrated research and management • Welfare issues

16. Tailoring technologies – developing solutions…. Research challenges • Environmental impact of intensive farming practices – increased chemical inputs • Pests and diseases - new and emerging and spread of existing (climate change) • Abiotic stress (drought, salinity, temperature) • Efficiency of resource use at all stages of supply chain • Reducing waste including post-harvest losses

17. Added value, benefits, impacts • Addresses different agro-ecological zones and regions within Europe and within other regions that are key to European interests, notably in Africa. • Broader aspects • social and economic - impact on fragile states (reference in French production) • human health – diseases crossing species boundaries • Sets Europe in a better context to global initiatives e.g. Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security Challenge Programme and Earth Systems Science Programme

18. Governance • Governing Board (GB) – comprising one senior representative of each Member State contractor, the GB will be responsible for the political and strategic orientation of the initiative. Meets at least once per year, chaired by the coordinator. • Executive Committee (ExC)– in charge of operational and day-to-day management of the initiative, made up of leaders of each work package activity, chaired by the coordinator. Meets at least twice per year. • Coodinatorwill be responsible for delivering tasks defined by the EU Contract and the Consortium Agreement, and will serve as the intermediary between the European Commission and the consortium. The Coordinator will lead a JPI Management Office where a project manager and administration will be based. • Advisory Boardscan be set up for example on issues such as Intellectual Property, a Scientific Group, a Stakeholder Group and a Communications Group.

19. Other topics • Interested to hear proposals of other countries • Opportunities to join relevant partnerships will be scoped with stakeholders in UK after this meeting

20. www.rcuk.ac.uk