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Subject: 2021 Research Infrastructure Advocacy

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[research-infrastructure-advocacy] The Minds We Need: Research Infrastructure - Inclusion, Innovation, and Competitiveness


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  • From: Louis Fox <>
  • To:
  • Cc: Howard Pfeffer <>
  • Subject: [research-infrastructure-advocacy] The Minds We Need: Research Infrastructure - Inclusion, Innovation, and Competitiveness
  • Date: Sat, 15 May 2021 12:04:54 -0700

Dear Colleagues,

After two weeks of focus groups, followed by a week of writing, we are again at a point where we need your feedback.  We hope you will see many of your ideas reflected in the attached paper, as the depth and breadth of your contributions during the focus groups was amazing.  The research and education community already owes you a debt of gratitude.

While we focused on research infrastructure as part of a much larger national broadband strategy, many of you had excellent comments about how to achieve universal residential broadband services, as well as connect other important community institutions, which we hope you will also share within your states, each of whom will soon begin implementing their own plans to use the infrastructure funds that will be dispersed in state block grants by the US Department of Treasury, and via competitive programs from the NTIA and FCC, as broadband elements in the CARES and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Acts.

We chose to focus on themes of inclusion and competitiveness, themes that arose during our focus groups and which were later confirmed as priorities among the policy leaders with whom we have spoken.  In fact, we’ve received encouragement from many quarters, so we are hopeful that our advocacy will be welcomed by the Biden-Harris Administration, Congress, OSTP, and federal agencies.   

One of the more difficult aspects of our recommendations was to arrive at a plan that would, though multiple measures, result in a nationally coherent state-of-the art research infrastructure that also achieves our goals of equity and inclusion.  This is no small task.  

We ask that you send any comments to us via email at  by the end of the day Wednesday, May 19th.  We know this isn’t much time, but we are hoping to incorporate your suggestions into a final document which we would then be able to distribute by Monday, May 24th.  

We are also working with government relations leaders and consultants this coming week on the specifics of an advocacy plan, so that we approach this part of our common effort systematically.  If you have input, or suggestions, or are willing to assist us with key leaders and communities with whom you interact, we would welcome your engagement.  Please note this in your comments.

We will assume that you wish to be signatories on the paper, but if you do not wish to be, please let us know.  Lastly, if you are in a position to include your institution among the endorsers of the plan, that would be great, so please indicate this in your comments, as well.

The commitment of our research and education community to the greater good is inspiring, as are all of you.  

With gratitude,

Howard Pfeffer, Internet2
Louis Fox, CENIC




Attachment: Final Draft for Review ƒ_ Ensuring the Future of CyberInfastructure to Support Research and Education.pdf
Description: Adobe PDF document







  • [research-infrastructure-advocacy] The Minds We Need: Research Infrastructure - Inclusion, Innovation, and Competitiveness, Louis Fox, 05/15/2021

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