From the UK, among its e-structure experts (left) Prof Malcolm Atkinson, Professor of e-Science, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, and (right) Oxford based Dr Neil Geddes CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory hold a watching brief. Both are directors of The e-Science Institute and National e-Science Centre.

The importance of the e-Infrastructure for research for European competitiveness is almost universally acknowledged. Sustainable and integrated networking, grid, data and high performance and commodity computing services will become essential tools for 40m users in research and academia in Europe.

The innovation potential of such a large-scale deployment of advanced services should not be underestimated. Acting in support of this innovation process, e-IRG is a forum where service providers, technology developers, current and new user communities can all join forces to help to realise the innovation and inclusivity goals of the i2010 strategy.

The ongoing expansion of the e-Infrastructure user communities is already
producing new and updated requirements for the common e-Infrastructure. The junction of leading-edge research activities and e-Infrastructure supporting them has been identified as an area where considerable socioeconomic benefits can be realised.

Inclusion of new user communities has also highlighted the importance of continuing the move from product- or technology-oriented ICT support models into the provision of e-Infrastructure services.

This roadmap also illustrates how the e-Infrastructure acts as an ‘innovation engine’ by accelerating the transition of leading-edge ICTapplications for research into innovations that benefit the society as a whole.

Other major trends for future e-Infrastructures are the emergence of data
intensive science, the threatening software crisis and the move towards service concepts. As concrete steps towards the goals mentioned above, e-IRG makes the following recommendations.

Recommendations
• The adoption of an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) model should be strongly stimulated and supported with the aim to increase the sustainability of e-Infrastructures and to identify and provide innovative solutions which could find a larger use in the society.

• Commodity computing should be used to bring new users and user communities into contact with other components of the e-Infrastructure.

• Interoperability of e-Infrastructure components should be improved by  global standardisation efforts.

• Access to the European know-how related to scientific software and
exascale computing needs to be improved.

• Resources for preparatory work for a general data management services should be reserved.

• Studies focusing on the impact of  new research networking technologies and policies on innovation potential of the whole e-Infrastructure are needed.

• Seamless transition of proven e-Infrastructure collaboration models into broader use in society should be stimulated and supported.

• Adoption of and access to e-Infrastructure by new user communities should be supported.

• European e-Infrastructure experts should be enabled to contribute to global e-Infrastructure developments, and included in leadership roles requiring long-term commitments.