Michigan State University is teaming up with the University of Michigan, Wayne State University, Indiana University and Van Andel Research Institute to implement a high-speed infrastructure that will allow scientists to access and share their research across the region with unprecedented ease. This new Multi-Institutional Open Storage Research InfraStructure (MI-OSiRIS) initiative was launched through a $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation and will enable researchers to collaborate their efforts in making new discoveries. MI-OSiRIS will break new ground in data storage and networking by utilizing advanced data storage software and hardware to open up new frequencies on the existing high-speed network. The project will test the effectiveness of so-called software defined storage coupled with advanced networking. This will allow relatively inexpensive, off-the-shelf hard drives to be programmed with intelligent software. This can automatically manage data in ways that make it easier to copy, analyze, change, search and share. To read further, please visit http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2015/msu-nets-part-of-5m-big-data-grant-from-national-science-foundation/.