Oregon Research Institute is a non-profit research organization with 36 behavioral scientists. The Institute supports a central computing facility for data processing and statistical analysis of research project data (95% of use by PHS projects). The current VAX 8200 computing system was acquired in 1986. Since then, the number and size of grants at the Institute has grown significantly (from $1.6 million indirect to $3.5 million). This growth has resulted in subsequent increases in the size, number, and complexity of analytic tasks carried out by the projects, and a dramatic expansion in the demand for data processing and statistical analysis. For example, in 1986 there were 10 terminal ports; now there are 75 ports. Unfortunately, the current computing system has proven inadequate for this expanded task, and it has become necessary to limit the number of concurrent users to 20. Research staff are frequently unable to gain access to the computer, because it has been necessary to limit the number of concurrent users. User demands on the resource have degraded the responsiveness of the system such that analytic tasks frequently must be completed on an overnight basis. This situation has hampered the completion of data processing and analyses that are central to the dissemination and publication of project results. Consequently, this proposal requests that the current facility be upgraded to meet the new demand.
