Scientific Relevance
The BRICKS research emanates from new challenges presented
by the broad and deep impact of the explosive development
of information and communication technology. The research
will yield innovative results in several old and new
scientific disciplines that concentrate on or utilize
information and communication technology. The starting
point for BRICKS is the
Onderzoeksagenda Informatica
(NOAG-I, National Research Agenda Informatics), established
by Informaticaonderzoek Platform Nederland
(IPN, Dutch platform for Informatics research) and the
Adviescommissie
Informatica (ACI, Advisory Committee Computer
Science of the NWO research area Physical Sciences).
The NOAG-i identifies seven strategic research
themes: - Embedded Systems (ES)
- Software Engineering (SE)
- Multimedia
(MM)
- Parallel and Distributed Computing
(PDC)
- Modelling, Simulation and Visualization
(MSV)
- Intelligent Systems
(IS)
- Algorithms and Formal
Methods (AFM)
The BRICKS research
is related to the latter four. The key questions to be
addressed include: - how to improve security
and dependability of Internet use and software
applications
- how to develop novel paradigms for
advanced computing algorithms based on quantum theory and
formal methods for the dynamic operation of networked
software components
- how to develop a new
generation of database technology necessary for ambient
intelligence and data mining on peta scale
- how to provide knowledge and tools to predict and
control quality of services in future networks consisting
of a heterogeneous mix of broadband, wireless and personal
area networks
- how to develop new approaches in
scientific computing, visualization, and virtual
environments to support and progress industrial processes,
e-science and e-learning
- how to develop advanced
intelligent decision support systems for workflow
optimization
- how to devise new algorithms needed
for bio-informatics and breakthroughs in
bio-technology
The scientific innovation
pursued by BRICKS is warranted by the combination of
exploring new promising, important research areas and
exploiting the extensive expertise and experience of the
research teams. The research ranges from foundations to
applications, from model- and algorithm-oriented to
implementation- and experiment-oriented. The research
areas proposed connect problems from practice with deep
scientific questions in areas that have a solid root in
computer science and applied mathematics, like databases,
data-mining, data structures, algorithmics, and
complexity, visualization, intelligent systems, operations
research, computational geometry, and stochastic, and
numerical analysis. By the involvement of both
computer scientists and applied mathematicians in BRICKS
we aim at obtaining a strong interaction and new
connections between the various aspects of this research
(foundations, applications, models, algorithms,
implementations, experiments), and thus between practical
and basic research in ICT. Next to that, several novel
paradigms raised by developments in ICT give a completely
new edge to established scientific disciplines.
In short
BRICKS addresses the need for a strong impulse in fundamental
research in informatics. The main objectives of BRICKS are
to:
- perform basic research in informatics that
aims at new challenges within the priority areas
of the national computer science research agenda,
NOAG-i
- extend and strengthen a research
infrastructure with lasting co-operations
- increase the number of researchers in the
computer sciences
- intensify interaction with
industry and other ICT users in society
-
promote efficient technology transfer by spin-off
generation.
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