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Former U Wisconsin CIO Bruce Maas Moves into Private Sector

• By Rhea Kelly
• 09/07/17

Bruce Maas

Bruce Maas, emeritus vice provost for IT and CIO from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is joining the private sector with a move to Research Space, maker of RSpace, an electronic lab notebook designed for academic research institutions.

RSpace allows researchers to capture and organize data, collaborate and share data with peers, manage lab workflows and more. It also provides a platform for institutions to publish and archive data to further open research. Research Space's commitment to the ideals of research institutions is what attracted Maas, he said: "I joined Research Space after my "retirement' because Research Space's DNA aligns with the needs of research universities, organizations and businesses. The future is public-private partnership, and this "private' is positioned to be an excellent long-term partner with higher education."

Maas also noted a number of priorities he shares with Research Space team: "1) Integration with major software vendors we were partnering with; 2) Open standards; 3) Winning business through performance, not "lock-in'; 4) Rapid product evolution based on disruptive innovations that come to market and gain traction; and 5) A willingness to listen to serve higher education for the long term."

"Bruce's experience leading software evaluation and vendor selection, and organizing the technical and human elements enabling a joined-up approach to research data management, provide an invaluable perspective on how research universities operate and make decisions," commented Rory Macneil, CEO of Research Space, in a statement. "Bruce commands great respect among his peers. He understands the financial, technical and leadership issues university CIOs face. That's invaluable in designing and developing solutions that meet the needs of their institutions and work within the constraints the CIOs and their teams operate under. We're thrilled Bruce has joined us at this critical juncture, as research universities adopt an integrated approach to managing research data."