Sakai is a free open source software application used for teaching and research collaboration between distributed users.

Known as a Collaboration and Learning Environment (CLE), Sakai is fully customisable with an extensive set of tools that can be turned on or off to match the needs of user groups.

Common research collaboration uses for Sakai include conference management and support, and the facilitation of online networks for research groups.

Conference conveners can use Sakai to manage the submission and review of research papers and presentations. The life of the conference can also be extended beyond the final presentation by moving interaction online with discussion groups, mailing lists and event announcements.

Research communities, whether they be located within one institution or distributed across the globe, can use Sakai to share knowledge, upload data, engage in discussion and debate, and contribute to blogs and wikis. Communities can be public or by invitation only.

Sakai's support for collaborative work and group projects is broad. The range of tools on offer include:

• document distribution, file sharing and drop boxes
• mailing lists and email archive
• discussion forums
• live chat
• news and RSS feeds
• wikis
• blogs
• web content
• forms
• announcements and event management.

Tool settings can be customised depending on the roles and permissions assigned to the users of your Sakai site: this means you can control what users are allowed to do with each tool.

Get started

eResearch SA supports researchers connected with the three South Australian universities who want to use Sakai.

Sakai is currently installed on a server at each university. We will help you to set up your own Sakai site on these servers, which can then be accessed by collaborators anywhere in the world.

We will help your research group to establish online communities and create an online home for events (such as conferences or workshops). We can also help you define user roles and permissions, customise the look and layout of your Sakai pages, and enable your choice of Sakai tools.

To find out more, contact the eResearch SA Service Desk.