UFIT Research Computing was founded under the premise that its costs should be covered jointly by the University administration and the faculty who use it. The administration’s funding is provided by the Provost, the Vice President for Research, and the Chief Information Office. Deans, directors, chairs, and faculty fund UFIT Research Computing through equipment investments proportional to their intended usage.
Sources of Funding
Funding for UFIT Research Computing comes from a number of different sources:
- The UF Data Center and the electrical power it requires are funded by the University.
- The cost for UFIT Research Computing personnel is carried by the UFIT budget and annual investments by the Provost and the VP for Research.
- Hardware infrastructure is sustained jointly by the UFIT Research Computing budget and faculty investments.
- Faculty investments come from startup funds, returned overhead funds, departmental and college funds, and grants and contracts.
Occasionally funds come from equipment grants to UF from agencies like NSF or other companies; these are not considered in the UFIT Research Computing sustainability model.
University Commitment to Faculty
Competition for grants is strong. The ability to show a commitment from the University strengthens the chance of positive review by panels and program officers. UFIT Research Computing implements a built-in institutional matching plan, allowing faculty to show matching contributions from the institution.
In 2012, a team of UF researchers led by Dr. Erik Deumens was awarded a research grant of $385,405 by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The project is one of the crucial building blocks in a comprehensive strategy to create a highly functional cyber-infrastructure for researchers at UF and their collaborators in the state, the nation, and the world. The award funds the equipment for the newly built 100 GigE Internet2 network enabling 100Gig connection to Florida LambdaRail (FLR). It benefits several on-going large scale projects, such as the Compact Muon Solenoid experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, the Agricultural Model Inter-comparison and Improvement Project, and the Integrated Digitized Biocollection.
Please refer to the Grant for UF Network - 2012 for details.