In recent weeks, several new activities of the Federal Big Data Initiative have been launched with the goal of addressing the challenges and opportunities of Big Data. The initial launch last year featured more than $200 million in new commitments from six Federal departments and agencies. Now in its second year, Federal agencies continue to launch programs that use cutting-edge technologies analyze and extract useful knowledge from Big Data for the benefit of society. The community has been encouraged to participate, the NIH announced increased involvement, and this Friday, May 3 the White House will host a Big Data workshop. The workshop is sponsored by the Office of Science and Technology Policy and the NITRD Big Data Senior Steering Group. The CCC is collaborating with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) on future events to involve industry, academia and government in initiatives. Additional details will be announced soon.

The “Unleashing the Power of Big Data” blog post from OSTP encourages increased community involvement:

“As we enter the second year of the Big Data Initiative, the Obama Administration is encouraging multiple stakeholders, including federal agencies, private industry, academia, state and local government, non-profits, and foundations to develop and participate in Big Data initiatives across the country.  Of particular interest are partnerships designed to advance core Big Data technologies; harness the power of Big Data to advance national goals such as economic growth, education, health, and clean energy; use competitions and challenges; and foster regional innovation.

 

The National Science Foundation has issued a request for information encouraging stakeholders to identify Big Data projects they would be willing to support to achieve these goals.  And, later this year, OSTP, NSF, and other partner agencies in the Networking and Information Technology R&D (NITRD) program plan to convene an event that highlights high-impact collaborations and identifies areas for expanded collaboration between the public and private sectors.”

The “Big Data is a Big Deal for Biomedical Research” blog post from OSTP reveals additional details of the increased NIH participation in the initiative.

“Earlier this month, the National Institutes of Health announced that the President’s FY14 budget proposal will provide at least $40 million to launch a new Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K) program, significantly expanding NIH’s participation in the Administration’s initiative.

 

In addition to the BD2K program, NIH is supporting a variety of other initiatives to accelerate the pace of discovery through the use of Big Data.

 

As Big Data challenges in biomedical research are shared with other areas of scientific research, BD2K will also require effective collaboration and coordination with other government agencies tackling similar challenges, including the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy, as well as privately funded efforts. Big Data can accelerate the translation of data to bedside applications that advance the detection, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease. With proper investments and coordination with other government agencies and private sector stakeholders, NIH can help realize the health benefits of the Big Data revolution.”