This third phase of the GN4-3 project is a natural continuation of the work in GN4-2, building on the results and maintaining the overall objective of helping to raise European research to the next level, promoting scientific excellence, access and re-use of research data.
GÉANT’s world-class, high-speed backbone provides seamless and secure connectivity with 42 National Research and Education Networks (NRENs), reaching over 50 million users in 10,000 institutions across Europe, and more than 100 countries worldwide through links with other regions. The core backbone is capable of multiple 100 Gbps transmission over each fibre link, and Terabit connectivity can be achieved by a single node. The safe and rapid connection of users to each other, to the increasing amounts of data generated by research, and to the high performance computing capacity required by collaborative research form the foundation of the GÉANT partnership.
GÉANT services offer convenient, fast and reliable access to European High Performance Computing facilities, cloud services for the research and education community, access to scientific data and publications and other services from the European e-infrastructure providers, whenever and wherever needed.
The structure of the present proposal emphasises updating existing services in line with requirements of the user community. This complements the proposed companion project GN4-3N, an ambitious programme increasing the footprint of the backbone network at the same time as improving its capacity, resilience and flexibility with the aim of offering 100Gbps network access to many more GÉANT partners and significantly diminish the digital divide.
Project funding:
The EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation “Horizon 2020”
Project results:
Improved user experience: The plans for improving the GÉANT network in the GN4-3 project include network speed, operations and support through new technologies, investment in optical connections (WP7 and GN4-3N). Operations Support (WP9) is structured to accompany this with continued focus on the end-user. For access to content, services and resources for the global research and education community, trust and identity processes are crucial to the security and trust of the end-user. In WP5, more features to increase security and reach are developed at the same time as maintaining a streamlined ease of service use. These additional features also benefit the services developed and supported in WP4 and WP6. The increased coordination (also under EOSC) with the other e-infrastructure services in Europe, such as PRACE, will also extend the impact of the GÉANT services.
Partnerships and collaborations: The GN4-3 project liaises and works/co-creates with other e-infrastructures and within the EOSC framework to ensure a seamless environment for end-users, and to identify future requirements. GN4-3 adapts the GÉANT infrastructure development roadmap, maximises the value of innovation, and coordinates interactions and outreach to the user communities, including, for the first time, the organisation of a joint user conference together with other e-infrastructure projects. These activities will interact with international partners, and other funded projects that directly contribute to the rollout of GÉANT services.
Through vendor engagement in WP4, the project negotiates access to interesting applications, including cloud services, at beneficial terms or rates for NRENs to offer to their communities.
Standards and forums: GÉANT is represented on the committees of relevant standards bodies (IETF, GGF, Wi-Fi Alliance, etc.) and user forums, and is set to participate in or establish collaborative technology forums to help shape the development of the wider networking market. Task Forces and Special Interest Groups facilitate the exchange of information and best practice inside the GÉANT NREN community and beyond. With GÉANT’s contributions, the effect of these efforts on the development of products adapted for use by the Research and Education community should not be underestimated.
Period of project implementation: 2019-01-01 - 2022-12-31
Project coordinator: GEANT Vereniging
Project partners: BELNET, NORDUnet A/S, Turkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu, Kaunas University of Technology, Institute for Informatics and Automation Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, United Institute of Informatics problems of National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Bulgarian Research and Education Network, KYPRIAKO EREVNITIKO KAI AKADIMAIKO DIKTYO, Educational Technology Foundation (Estonia), Heanet Ltd, Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, University of Latvia, Jisc Collections and Janet Limited, Javna Ustanova Univerzitet Crne Gore Podgorica, Instytut Chemii Bioorganicznej Polskiej Akademii Nauk, Zdruzenie Pouzivatelov Slovenskejakademickej Datovej Siete-SANET, University of Belgrade, Groupement d'Internet pour Lereseau National de Telecommunications pour la Technologie l'Enseignement et la Recherche (RENATER), Akademska Raziskovalna Mreza Slovenije (ARNES), HRVATSKA AKADEMSKA I ISTRAZIVACKA MREZA CARNET, CESNET Zajmove Sdruzeni Pravnickych osob, Verein zur Förderung eines Deutschen Forschungsnetzes e.V. (DFN-Verein), Consortium GARR, Georgian Research and Educational Networking Association, ETHNIKO DIKTYO EREVNAS TECHNOLOGIAS AE, MACHBA - Interuniversity Computation Center, MACHBA - Interuniversity Computation Center, Macedonian Academic and Research Network SKOPJE, Entidad Publica Empresarial Red.es, Research and Educational Networking Association of Moldova, Fondation "Restena", SURFnet bv, SWITCH, Information Technology Development Agency (Hungary), Qendra Nderuniversitare e Sherbimeve dhe Rrjetit Telematik
