One challenge with federated identity is arranging for attribute release from identity providers, a process that used to involve working with each identity provider (for details see the paper on TeraGrid's federated identity experiences). To address this, InCommon has created the Research and Scholarship Category for service providers. By applying and being approved to be a member of this category, as the LIGO Wiki has done, a service provider gains immediate attribute release from over 40 identity providers in one step. Hence, the Research and Scholarship Category is a key step by InCommon to
improve the ease by which cyberinfrastructure can leverage identity
federation.
