The Challenges of Developing a Collaborative Data and Compute Grid for Neurosciences

The three-year UK NeuroGrid project aims to develop a grid-based collaborative research environment to support the data and compute needs for a UK Neurosciences community. This paper describes the challenges in developing this architecture and details initial results from the development of its first prototype to support psychosis, dementia and stroke research and the social challenges of such a collaborative research project. The paper discusses approaches being taken to explore the collaborative science process to inform the requirements for follow on prototypes and methods utilized to develop an effective project team