New Zealanders have contributed nearly six years’ worth of computing time to a groundbreaking AIDS research project in just six months via IBM’s World Community Grid. The World Community Grid was launched in November 2004 to give individuals and businesses, foundations, associations, universities, and not-for-profit organisations the opportunity to donate the idle and unused time on a computer to various humanitarian research initiatives, including a project dedicated to finding new AIDS therapies. The New Zealand AIDS Foundation became this country’s first community organisation to join up on World AIDS Day in December last year, and has been encouraging other New Zealanders to join their computing team online. People living with HIV rely on combinations of drug therapies to halt the progress of the virus inside their bodies, but with the virus constantly adapting, changing and developing resistance to these therapies, new combinations must be developed constantly. "Time is our greatest asset when developing new drug therapies - we need to be able to move faster than the virus,” says NZAF Executive Director Rachael Le Mesurier. "Researchers can help us stay one step ahead by deploying more powerful computers - and now ordinary New Zealanders can help out as part of that.” Joining the World Community Grid involves downloading and installing a free, small, safe and secure software program that is similar to a screensaver. When idle, the computer requests data from World Community Grid's server. Computations are performed with this data, and the results are sent back to the server. The process is transparent and volunteers should see no difference in the speed of their computers. World Community Grid will not start working unless the computer is truly idle and power is available. “This is something really simple you can do to help the global fight against HIV and AIDS without really having to lift more than a finger,” Le Mesurier says. “Innovative solutions like this will help us all move together towards a world without HIV and AIDS.” Visit the New Zealand AIDS Foundation website at the link below for information on how to join the World Community Grid. Related links: www.nzaf.org.nz Ref: NZAF (Press Release)