Opening science gateways to future success: The challenges of gateway sustainability

To make research and development investments where they will have the most impact, it is critical to understand why some science and engineering gateway or portal projects change the way that science is conducted at a fundamental level in a given community. This paper provides some initial reflections on a June 2010 focus group with the goals of uncovering some of these characteristics of success and generating practical insights that draw on the strength of multidisciplinary perspectives. We identify five key tensions that are challenges to gateway sustainability, and we offer policy recommendations that could benefit future gateway projects.