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caBIG® Enterprise Support Network
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Related ResourcesThe Enterprise Support Network (ESN) is a collection of diverse organizations that, with guidance from NCICB, caBIG® Program staff, and caBIG® workspaces, will expand and support the caBIG® community by providing appropriate services, mentoring and expertise.
Critical functions of the Enterprise Support Network include:
- Enabling further progress toward achieving the caBIG® program goal of establishing and extending interoperability
- Supporting the needs of individuals and institutions of the current caBIG® community, and broader cancer and biomedical research communities that wish to adopt caBIG® standards, applications, and infrastructure
- Servicing a range of audiences, including IT administrators, end users, and senior decision makers
- Augmenting the existing capacity of the caBIG® Workspaces, the primary organizational units through which the research community has been involved in the caBIG® Program.
Two critical components of the ESN include Knowledge Centers and Support Service Providers, introduced here – follow the links to learn more about each one:
Knowledge Centers have been established at institutions with demonstrated expertise in a specific area of focus or domain of interest to caBIG® . As of Summer 2008, there are six knowledge centers. Services supported by these centers include:
- Web-based support for education, outreach, training, and deployment needs related to their domain to the caBIG® and broader cancer enterprise
- Community outreach to expand interest in caBIG® tools and compatibility
- Domain expertise for those interested in integrating caBIG into their programs
- Maintenance of a central repository of domain-specific tools, documentation, policies, and standards
Support Service Providers are organizations that provide client-specific caBIG® support under negotiated client-provider business arrangements. Support Service Providers are independent entities that are approved by NCI as meeting specific criteria for performance. Actual services will be rendered by caBIG Support Service Providers to their clients under contractual business arrangements organized by and between those parties only. Such contractual arrangements are independent of the NCI and the caBIG® program. Designation of the applicant as a Provider will not constitute an endorsement of the Provider’s business by NCI. Rather, the designation will serve merely as an indication that the Provider has successfully complied with the evaluation criteria described in the program announcement. Organizations considering using a Support Service Provider are encouraged to review current and past announcements to understand the criteria and program roles of the Providers.
Support Service Providers are distinguished in that they hold a limited license to NCI’s caBIG® program trademarks, adequate to identify the applicant as a caBIG® Support Service Provider, and to market and communicate the caBIG® Support Service Provider’s offerings.
caBIG® Support Service Provider licenses fall into four categories:
- Help Desk Support
- Adaptation and Enhancement of caBIG® -Compatible Software Applications
- Deployment Support for caBIG® Software Applications
- Documentation and Training Materials and Services
The caBIG® Support Service Provider program is not a procurement and no funds will be awarded to successful applicants.
Understanding the Boundaries
The following table illustrates the differences and boundaries between Knowledge Centers and Service Providers:
Knowledge Centers |
Service Providers |
Support is web-based |
Support is defined by client-specific agreements/contracts |
Minor enhancements to existing software based upon workspace priorities |
Speculative development based on workspace and end-user needs |
Foster open development across community |
Customize applications to meet individual user need |
Serve as steward of caBIG® software code base |
Create “shrink wrap” full-featured applications from caBIG® -funded reference implementations |
Maintain and update tool outreach materials, documentation and training materials |
Customize documentation and training for specific clients/end users based on their needs |
