Connecting Research and Operations

Researchers and network operators within the RIPE community share a common goal: understanding and improving how the Internet works. Researchers bring analytical methods and time to investigate complex problems, while operators have first-hand experience running networks and understanding the practical challenges of deployment.

Although these perspectives are highly complementary, collaboration between the two communities often relies on existing personal contacts or chance encounters. Researchers may struggle to find operational partners, datasets, or opportunities to validate their work, while operators may have important research questions but lack the time, resources, or academic connections to investigate them.

Building on discussions and a flip-chart experiment conducted at RIPE 92 that explored opportunities for research–operations collaboration, this BoF session will explore how the RIPE community can make collaboration between researchers and operators easier. The goal is to understand existing barriers, gather experiences from both communities, and discuss what kinds of support mechanisms, if any, would be valuable.

To help ground the discussion in practical experience, we have invited representatives from GÉANT's FAIR Data Portal to briefly share lessons learned from building a community initiative around responsible operational data sharing.

While operational data sharing is an important aspect of collaboration, the discussion is intentionally broader and will also cover identifying research questions, validating results in operational environments, establishing long-term partnerships, and improving communication between the two communities.

Discussion Focus

The BoF will be an open discussion centred around questions such as:
- What are the biggest obstacles to collaboration between researchers and network operators?
- How can researchers better communicate their needs for data and operational feedback?
- What practical, technical, legal, or organisational barriers make operational data difficult to share?
- Would the community benefit from lightweight mechanisms such as recurring matchmaking sessions, shared repositories of datasets or research questions, reusable data-sharing frameworks, or other forms of coordination?
- What role, if any, should the RIPE NCC play in supporting these activities?

Participants are encouraged to share concrete experiences, successful collaborations, challenges, and ideas for improving these valuable connections.

Format

The session is intended to be discussion-driven rather than presentation-heavy.

Proposed agenda:

• 10 minutes: Introduction, including observations from the RIPE 92 flip-chart experiment and the motivation for the discussion
• 10 minutes: Invited perspective from GÉANT's FAIR data initiative
• 30 minutes: Moderated community discussion with audience participation
• 10 minutes: Summary of key themes and possible next steps

The objective is to gather community feedback rather than reach immediate consensus on a specific solution.

Intended Audience

• Network operators
• Internet and networking researchers
• NREN representatives
• Everyone interested in collaboration between research and operations

Expected Outcome

The BoF aims to better understand the challenges that currently limit collaboration between researchers and network operators, identify areas where the RIPE community could lower these barriers, and assess whether there is interest in developing mechanisms to facilitate future collaboration.

The discussion will help inform any future initiatives by the RIPE community or the RIPE NCC in this area.

Moderation: The session will be moderated by Jelena and Ulka from the RIPE NCC.