ORANO should take the lead in developing a stakeholder-led "cyberinfrastructure" strategy for Ontario and play an active role in facilitating the deployment of "user-centric" services and web 2.0 applications over the ORION network.

Those and other recommendations emerged from an intensive two-day forum with a core group of senior Ontario research and education (R&E) stakeholders, invited to advise ORANO on the future of the ORION network.

The session, hosted at Bell Canada's Collaboration Centre in Toronto Nov. 26 and 27, brought together university VPs of research; CIOs; principal scientists in different disciplines, and others involved in health research, applied research and commercialization.

A follow-up to ORANO's province-wide roundtable consultations in 2006, the forum was held to solicit ideas and specific "action plans" on initiatives that can best support and enhance stakeholder research capabilities.

Among the recommendations was a call for ORANO, which owns and operates the ORION network, to lead in shaping and defining a "cyberinfrastructure" strategy for Ontario, that looks at a greater integration of technologies, middleware, knowledge resources, and applications to advance research and innovation in all key sectors. All players would be brought to the table, including the provincial government, innovation and commercialization players, academic and research institutions, and private sector partners.

Additional "action items" also emerged from the forum, ranging from the creation of an online directory of applications and technology-based skills and resources, to strengthening the "enabling" team resources within ORANO to provide or broker expertise and specialized knowledge within the user community.

The forum's methodology drew applause from the participants, as they worked through a series of planning exercises by Bell Canada's professional collaborative planning group, led by Collaboration Services Advisor Paul Freudenberg.

Among the premises the group explored was anticipating the measures that would have to be taken in the next four to five years to ensure ORION remains on the right path to support the future needs of the research and scientific community, particularly in the areas of research and collaborative technologies.

"Some of these ideas have the potential to transform ORANO and we're looking forward to fully engaging our users to find the best way to make these things happen," says Phil Baker, President/CEO, who has already briefed the ORANO Board of Directors on the outcomes of the forum at its regular meeting on Dec. 6.

Among the stakeholders' top priorities for ORANO is for the organization to continue to focus on ensuring that the ORION network is robust, reliable and at the leading edge, emphasizing that this is equally important to researchers and individual users of the network, not just the institutions.

Among the "gap" identified was in skills and knowledge in the use of advanced networks and ICT technologies and applications. The forum urged ORANO to take on the task of developing and implementing a directory of skills and knowledge, including identifying available people resources to provide guidance, help and support.

The forum also called on ORANO to broaden private sector participation in the network, establishing that "ORANO has a role in supporting and fostering private/public sector collaborations over ORION."

Specific action plans are expected to be developed in the coming months. Several of the participants have already agreed to serve on working groups. "We're absolutely committed, and we have the support of the ORANO board to move quickly in implementing these ideas," said Baker.