# Hybrid- and Multi-Cloud Storage Strategies for Cost-effective Deployment of Data Resources

> **NIH NIH U01** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · 2023 · $183,333

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The goal of the FaceBase III Hub, supported by the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial
Research (NIDCR), was to create a data resource to serve the entire community of dental and
craniofacial researchers first by sharing diverse data related to craniofacial development and
dysmorphology and increasingly dental and translational research, as well as other research
that can benefit from the data that is in the FaceBase repository. FaceBase is home to over
1,040 imaging, genomics and other datasets, spanning human, mouse, zebrafish, chick with
prospective contributors in other species, and it has seen steady usage worldwide.
FaceBase is in the process of migrating from an on-premise infrastructure to the Amazon Web
Services (AWS) “cloud” service provider. While the cloud deployment of FaceBase will offer
many benefits to the community that it serves, one particular challenge facing FaceBase or any
other data resource operated on a commercial cloud is the incremental and unpredictable costs
of data storage and downloads.
In this project, we propose to explore hybrid- and multi-cloud storage strategies in order to
optimize for the most cost-effective storage providers and schemes available. We propose the
following specific aims: (1) leverage cost competitive specialized cloud storage service providers
to supplement core service deployment on AWS, and (2) explore the usage of on-premises
storage resources through a hybrid-cloud strategy to augment further our public cloud
infrastructure and seamlessly exploit subsidized low-cost storage infrastructure through our
institution.
The ultimate goals of the project are to accelerate dental, oral, and craniofacial research and to
advance the understanding of cost-effective utilization of cloud resources to benefit potentially
any NIH supported data resources.
PREVIEW Date: Apr 11, 2023 Workspace ID: WS01078345 Funding Opportunity Number: PA-20-272

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10827612
- **Project number:** 3U01DE028729-05S2
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Yang Chai
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $183,333
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2023-09-19 → 2024-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10827612

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10827612, Hybrid- and Multi-Cloud Storage Strategies for Cost-effective Deployment of Data Resources (3U01DE028729-05S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10827612. Licensed CC0.

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