NIGMS Sandbox: a learning platform toward democratizing cloud computing for biomedical research

Biomedical data are growing exponentially in both volume and levels of complexity, due to the rapid advancement of technologies and research methodologies. Analyzing these large datasets, referred to collectively as "big data," has become an integral component of research that guides experimentation-driven discovery and a new engine of discovery itself as it uncovers previously unknown connections through mining of existing data. To fully realize the potential of big data, biomedical researchers need access to high-performance-computing (HPC) resources. However, supporting on-premises infrastructure that keeps up with these consistently expanding research needs presents persistent financial and staffing challenges, even for well-resourced institutions. For other institutions, including primarily undergraduate institutions and minority serving institutions, that educate a large portion of the future workforce in the USA, this challenge presents an insurmountable barrier. Therefore, new approaches are needed to provide broad and equitable access to HPC resources to biomedical researchers and students who will advance biomedical research in the future.