STRIDES Initiative: Preparing to Use the Cloud

Who Should Be Involved?

As you begin the process of engaging with the STRIDES Initiative, understanding who in your organization—whether you are at NIH or an NIH-funded institution with an active NIH award—needs to be involved at each step will help you set up cloud services seamlessly.

The NIH STRIDES Initiative team encourages you to identify these individuals prior to starting the onboarding process.

Before you set up your cloud services, consider the key roles and responsibilities of those who will be involved in supporting the computational capability, data analysis, and sharing.

I am at NIH. What key roles should I consider?

I am at an NIH-funded institution and have an active NIH award. What key roles should I consider?

I am at NIH. What key roles should I consider?

These roles are representative, and they may vary depending on the nature of your program/project or institute/center (IC); in some cases delegates for specific roles may be substituted.

Key Role	Role Description	Responsibilities
Principal Investigator	Lead of the program/project who has scientific and/or technical responsibilities; will have required involvement throughout the onboarding process	Describes projects that will be included in the STRIDES Initiative account Specifies technical infrastructure, services, and tools needed for the program/project Identifies individuals, e.g., post doctoral fellows, summer interns, who are permitted to access account Approves allocation of funding for computational resources (if responsible for funds) Serves as the principal point of contact with CIT throughout the process Designates administrative roles and level of access throughout the program/project Designates roles and responsibilities for program/project team, including identifying the Technical Lead and Billing/Accounting Representative(s) Receives reports and spending limit alerts and warnings Attends program/project meetings as needed
Technical Lead	Implements policies and technical infrastructure for the program/project; will be involved as needed throughout STRIDES Initiative engagement	Identifies and sets technical requirements for the program/project Implements policies and controls set forward by the Principal Investigator, the Scientific Director, or Branch/Lab Chief Receives security alerts
Billing/Accounting Representative(s)	Financial and purchasing responsibilities at the program/project level; will be involved as needed throughout STRIDES Initiative engagement	Ensures that invoices are accurate Receives reports and spending limit alerts and warnings* Monitors account spending to avoid overages* Reports must be forwarded to the budget officer who has responsibility for the IC’s overall budget *The Administrative Officer (or like role) should also receive a copy.
Program/Project Funding Source Note: This is the person/group who is providing the funding to the program/project. This may be the Principal Investigator, Branch/Lab Chief and/or Scientific Director. The IC establishes its own decision maker for funding.	Financial oversight of funding for the program/project; will be involved at some points during onboarding process	Approves allocation of funding for computational resources* Receives copies of reports and spending limit alerts and warnings, unless chooses to opt out Attends program/project meetings as needed *Project leadership must be notified of STRIDES Initiative participation

In addition to the four key roles above, your IC’s leadership should have a general level of awareness and understanding of which programs/projects are using STRIDES Initiative partner resources to help inform decisions about cost and long-term sustainability of resources.

You will be asked to provide information on your program or project, including the names and contact information for the program/project’s primary point of contact (e.g., Principal Investigator, etc.), secondary point of contact (e.g., technical lead, billing administrator), and a summary of how your program/project will directly support biomedical research.

If you need assistance identifying these individuals, please talk to your program/project leadership to understand your organization’s account management preferences.

The NIH STRIDES Initiative team can answer administrative process questions, not to include scientific/programmatic topics, as you work through the process. Contact us at STRIDES@nih.gov.

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I am at an NIH-funded institution and have an active NIH award. What key roles should I consider?

The process may vary depending on the program/project, and in some cases delegates for specific roles may be substituted.

Key Role	Role Description	Responsibilities
Your Institution	Sets business practices and guidelines for how the institution will leverage cloud for research beyond the policy and guidelines set by the NIH Grants Policy Statement	Manages partnerships for cloud services for the institution at-large (e.g., determines providers, executes agreements, etc.) Determines rules of engagement for institution’s cloud environment (e.g., regulatory compliance, governance, security, etc.) Establishes a payor relationship with STRIDES Initiative partners and their billing and administrative partners Monitors cloud environment and enforces policies and controls Receives and manages payment of invoices (including incurred overspending costs)
Principal Investigator	Lead of the program/project who has scientific and/or technical responsibilities; has at least one active NIH-funded award; will have required involvement throughout the onboarding process	Participates actively throughout the process Specifies technical infrastructure, services, and tools needed for the program/project Designates administrative roles and level of access for the program/project cloud environment Designates roles and responsibilities for program/project team, including identifying the Technical Lead and Billing/Accounting Representative(s) Receives reports and spending limit alerts and warnings Includes STRIDES Initiative-related outcomes as part of annual RPPR progress report
Technical Lead	Implements policies and technical infrastructure for the program/project; will be involved as needed throughout STRIDES Initiative engagement *Note:* This could be the Principal Investigator.	Identifies and sets technical requirements for the program/project Implements administrative roles and level of access for cloud environment set forward by the Principal Investigator and/or the Program Director/Officer Receives security alerts
Billing/Accounting Representative(s)	Financial and purchasing responsibilities at the program/project level; will be involved as needed throughout STRIDES Initiative engagement *Note:* This could also be the Program Director/Officer depending on the program/project	Ensures that invoices are accurate and paid on time Receives reports and spending limit alerts and warnings Monitors account spending to avoid overages

In addition to the four key roles listed above, it is highly advised that your institution’s leadership (listed below) has a general level of awareness and understanding of which programs/projects are using STRIDES Initiative partner resources to help inform decisions about cost and long-term sustainability of resources.

Key Role	Role Description	Responsibilities
NIH Program Director/Officer	Technical oversight of the program/project including aligning program goals with appropriate funding	Recommends approval of funding allocations for computational resources* If appropriate for the program/project, receives reports and spending limit alerts and warnings* Attends program/project meetings as needed *Dependent on how programs/projects are managed

You will be asked to provide information on your program or project and include the names and contact information for the program/project’s Program Director/Officer, Principal Investigator, Technical Lead, and Billing/Accounting Representatives. If requested, the NIH STRIDES Initiative team will assist you in determining the appropriate process to follow.

If you need assistance identifying these individuals, please talk to your project leadership (e.g., Office of Sponsored Programs, etc.) to understand your organization’s account management and invoicing and payment preferences.

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Factors for Choosing a STRIDES Initiative Partner

This page last reviewed on April 7, 2023