The Australian Access Federation (AAF) has partnered with the National Computational Infrastructure (NCI) to explore improved trust and identity for their researcher, government and industry users.
NCI provides expert services in high performance compute (HPC), storage and data, enabling high-impact research and groundbreaking outcomes for Australia.
The AAF, as the national capability for Trust and Identity, is collaborating with NCI through funding provided by the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS).
The strategic goal of the incubator is to enable higher identity and authentication assurance levels (IAL), that will help to improve the identity security posture of NCI.
The AAF is collaborating with Australia’s national research infrastructures to implement the Trust and Identity Framework to enable best practice in technology and policy for seamless and secure access to digital research infrastructure. High-level identity assurance is a key underlying enabler of trusted research environments, by building trust and confidence in users.
NCI’s Associate Director – Storage, Daniel Rodwell, says, “We are working with the AAF to explore what IAL the Federation can currently provide NCI, and what future requirements might mean for researchers. The findings from this incubator will ensure our facilities run with outstanding user support and best practice security.”
The NCI incubator is exploring the policies required to enhance cybersecurity and enable higher IAL through the Federation. Along with assessing what is required from identity providers that align with the internationally endorsed Research Education Federations group (REFEDS) Identity Assurance Profiles (IAP). This will enable higher levels of assurance, that are needed to access NCI’s services and other national and international research infrastructures.
AAF’s Chief Executive Officer Heath Marks says, “Trust and identity protects our national assets from the threat of cyber-attacks and foreign interference, through safe and secure identity infrastructure, and trust policies and practices.
“To support effective risk management for high-value research infrastructure, organisations need to make decisions regarding the level of confidence they require in a user’s digital identity.
“Ensuring national research is safe and secure, is a critical step towards protecting it against future cybersecurity risks and foreign interference. This incubator is exploring identity verification that makes it easier and faster for researchers to access compute offerings, without compromising security. Cybersecurity starts with trusted identities”
NCI’s Gadi supercomputer caters to the biggest, most highly parallel workloads of Australia’s largest research organisations, while simultaneously supporting the work of individual research groups and projects.
NCI empowers Australian researchers by supporting innovation, creativity, and productivity to drive high-impact discoveries, tackle scientific challenges, and unlock new social and economic opportunities. Its advanced computing resources underpin critical work by the Bureau of Meteorology, Geoscience Australia, CSIRO, and a wide range of research across earth and environmental sciences, materials science, chemistry, health and medical science, and beyond.
Daniel Rodwell further states, “This incubator will enhance the services of NCI, allowing us to innovate and support new research. By reducing barriers to accessing NCI services, we will continue to help Australian researchers deliver innovative scientific outcomes, advanced technologies and critical insights to inform public policy and benefit Australian society.”
This initiative is made possible through the support of the Australian Government via the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS).
In today's data-driven research landscape, seamless access to digital platforms and valuable datasets is a necessity for researchers. For Australian researchers working in environmental and ecological sciences, EcoCommons Australia offers a powerful, browser-based platform for modelling, data analysis, and collaboration.
The Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) leads critical scientific research in Antarctica, one of the most remote and scientifically valuable regions on Earth. From atmosphere to marine ecosystems, the scientific research generated in Antarctica is vital to understanding and addressing global issues—including climate system and change, ecosystem protection, conservation and management…
Brisbane, ACT — When it comes to astronomy, Australia punches above its weight across a wide range of domains – and now these capabilities will be advanced even further thanks to a new Australian Access Federation (AAF) project. AAF will work with Astronomy Australia Limited, bringing its…
Imagine a world where medical science researchers can unlock Australia's vital phenomics data with a single click — no barriers, no delays, just seamless collaboration across institutions. That's the vision driving an exciting new partnership between the Australian Access Federation (AAF) and Phenomics Australia. Together, we've launched an innovation incubator…
The Australian Access Federation (AAF) is proud to highlight the outcome of a collaborative partnership with Australia's climate simulator (ACCESS-NRI) that introduced federated access to the ACCESS-Hive Forum earlier this year — a dynamic, open-source collaborative portal developed by and for the Australian Community Climate and Earth System Simulator (ACCESS)…
Brisbane, QLD — The Australian Access Federation (AAF) enables access to critical ecosystem research data at the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN Australia) and strengthens national collaboration. In today’s research landscape, data is everywhere — but access isn’t always simple. For scientists working on critical issues like climate change, the…
The Australian Access Federation (AAF) has partnered with the National Computational Infrastructure (NCI) to explore improved trust and identity for their researcher, government and industry users. NCI provides expert services in high performance compute (HPC), storage and data, enabling high-impact research and groundbreaking outcomes for Australia. The AAF, as the…
Implementing best practice identity and access management solutions for responsible human omics research data sharing As experts in trust and identity, the Australian Access Federation (AAF) have partnered with the Australian BioCommons‘ GUARDIANS project to implement best practice identity and access management solutions to…
AURIN and the Australian Access Federation (AAF) enable access to data that underpins research to support a healthy society and addresses inequities in urban planning. The Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network – AURIN – provides crucial data and digital infrastructure to support evidence-based urban and regional research, and policy development.
The Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly accelerating, and now more than ever, it is crucial to know and trust the origin of information. Modern search engines are trawling the internet and compiling responses as AI overviews, on topics ranging from cancer treatments to CRISPR technology – and not…
Uplifting Australian human genomics research data infrastructure at national scale The AAF are partnering with national research infrastructures to implement Australia’s Trust and Identity Framework, enabling seamless and secure access by researchers, industry and government to instrument, analysis and compute offerings. As experts in trust and identity, the Australian Access…
The Australian Access Federation (AAF) invites the national research community to learn more about how the AAF uses single-sign-on (SSO) to enable collaboration in complex research environments.
