NWO call Big bang, big data: Innovating ICT as a driver for astronomy

NWO invites applications for the call Big bang, big data: Innovating ICT as a driver for astronomy. Deadline for submitting proposals is January 24, 2014. ICT-researchers may apply for funding to research the exascale technologies necessary to handle the huge amounts of data that will be generated by the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), the world’s largest and most sensitive radio telescope. The resulting research programme will lead to additional Big Data ICT innovations as a driver for astronomy and for society at large, and to build up a research network in the Netherlands.

Approximately € 2 million is available for the call, provided by NWO Physical Sciences for 50%, and the other 50% together by ASTRON and IBM. Per project, funding can be applied for:
• employment costs of a maximum of two researchers, either of which can be a Postdoc researcher (for maximum three years) or a PhD researcher (for four years);
• contribution to material, small equipment costs and bench fee (including travel expenses and accommodation costs).

In this project DOME, ASTRON and IBM have joined forces to create new technology for handling the huge amounts of data that will be generated by the SKA. DOME is one of the most data-intensive science projects ever, addressing exascale technologies: ways to handle exabytes of data - where one exabyte equals a thousand petabytes, or a thousand petabytes. Innovation through and within ICT is essential to take the next giant leap in astronomy. The research programme Big Bang, Big Data: Innovating ICT as Driver for Astronomy will cover the following topics: Algorithms & Machines, Access Patterns, Microservers, Accelerators, Compressive Sampling, and Real-time communication models for exascale computing.