Start With AARC: the legacy begins

Download the Final Results leaflet (pdf)

Research collaborations building an Authentication and Authorisation Infrastructure (AAI) don’t need to re-invent the wheel. The AARC Blueprint Architecture, Policy Development Kit and ‘AARC in Action’ collection of case studies give a head start. So #StartWithAARC !

In four years, the two AARC projects have created a suite of information, tools, templates, guidelines and training to support AAI technical and policy requirements. Although the second AARC phase ends on 30 April 2019, the key products of the project will continue to be available to support future AAI developments. Development of guidelines and the Blueprint Architecture will continue in other forums, such as AEGIS, REFEDS, WISE and FIM4R.

To showcase and promote the key results of AARC, the project website has been restructured and short videos are being published and disseminated on social media – please like and share!

Impacts

All major research and e-infrastructures in Europe and beyond know about AARC and have deployed or are considering deploying an AAI that is compliant with the Blueprint Architecture (BPA). Thousands of researchers from the AARC partners representing research collaborations will benefit from their work in the project pilots. And the results of the pilots, along with policy and training materials will continue to support AARC BPA deployments in future, ensuring they are secure, federated, interoperable and GDPR compliant.

AARC was an opportunity to gather together research communities, e- and research-infrastructures to understand common challenges and needs. The AARC Engagement Group for Infrastructures – AEGIS – was created to ensure the BPA and guidelines could be adopted by AAI operators. This forum will outlive the project and will host the future development of the BPA. bit.ly/aarc-aegis

AARC also liaised with established groups such as FIM4R (Federated Identity Managament for Research) and REFEDS (Research & Education Federations). Inspired by AARC and FIM4R, a new group for libraries has been launched – FIM4L. So even after AARC ends, the AARC community will continue.

Key outputs

All the AARC outputs give a head start to anyone who is seeking an Authentication and Authorisation Infrastructure (AAI) solution for their research collaboration.

  • Blueprint Architecture – defines key AAI components that can be mixed and matched according to specific research collaboration needs. bit.ly/aarc-bpa / video
  • Policy Development Kit – a toolbox of information, template documents, training materials and guidelines on specific topics. bit.ly/aarc-pdk / video
  • AARC in Action – stories about the research collaborations that worked in the AARC pilots; their original requirements, which policies, training materials and technical components they used. bit.ly/aarc-in-action / video
  • Guidelines – to help research collaborations deploy and operate their AAI more effectively these advice documents support the Blueprint Architecture and policies. bit.ly/aarc-guidelines
  • Training – materials from face-to-face and online courses and tools aimed at research communities and service providers. bit.ly/aarc-training

AARC: a framework that will benefit research collaborations

The second AARC project built on the achievements of the first project, to expand and deploy the BPA and policy frameworks, working closely with research collaborations so they could build interoperable authentication and authorisation infrastructures (AAIs). Thanks to the efforts of the 25 partners and other contributors, AARC has created a legacy that can benefit other research collaborations worldwide.

Discover the full story of AARC: Why and How?