We understand that researchers in Canada require more efficient access to compute, software and data through community and commercial cloud. Through the Alliance Cloud Connect Pilot (ACCP), we aim to build national cloud research capacity and deliver on our mandate to meet the increasing digital research infrastructure (DRI) resource demand from the Canadian research community. Commercial vendors, open-source developers and researchers will work together on a cutting-edge portal that will transform access to community and commercial cloud services in Canada. As part of our pilot, researchers can opt in to the cloud service that suits their needs – either the Alliance’s community cloud or another provider’s service.

While the calls for participation to Providers and Platform Developers are now closed, Researchers are still welcome to join the pilot up until December 31, 2024. Details on how to get involved are below.

Call for participation: Researchers (closed)

We are seeking researchers to test the platform at a critical time in the service development. Researcher feedback is essential for the pilot project’s success and that’s why we have extended the deadline for submissions until December 31, 2024.

Benefits for participating researchers include:

Early access to ACCP services and capabilities
The ability to influence the direction of the project
Interaction with experts from industry and the Alliance
Access to compute cycles and storage
Potential access to specialized resources and services

Project and participation details

Project details, background information and research examples are outlined in the documents below:

How to apply

Participants must complete the online application form. Submissions must be structured to be completed at the end of the pilot, March 31, 2025. Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis and applicants will be notified within ten (10) business days of submission.

Deadline: December 31, 2024, is the final deadline for all submissions.

System access information

Please note that the ACCP cloud environment and cloud platforms will be operational until March 31, 2025. At this time, all services will be shut down and participating researchers will no longer have access. It is strongly recommended that researchers have a plan to move any data, code, applications, etc. out of the ACCP cloud environment before this date.

Our calls for Cloud Providers and Platform Developers are now closed. Details on these calls are noted here for your reference.

Targeted call for participation: Cloud Providers

This targeted closed call for participation is directed to cloud service providers (CSP) awarded the Government of Canada’s Cloud Framework Agreement. This allows the Alliance to streamline its call to meet the deadline and objectives of the ACCP while adhering to security and regulatory requirements defined by the federal government. As the project develops, the Alliance will seek opportunities to work with a wider range of CSPs. As this is a targeted call, service providers on the list will be contacted directly.

Call for participation: Platform Developers

Participating developers will create and operate a unified platform that streamlines access and administration of community and commercial cloud services. This platform aims to provide better access to compute, software, storage and hosting services through a centralized, user-friendly interface, ensuring efficiency, security and compliance for the Canadian research community.