The Project

The GÉANT2 network provides the high-performance, state-of-the-art network infrastructure that is fundamental to the European Union’s vision of a European Research Area (ERA). The network is the core activity of a coherent set of initiatives that seek to develop all aspects of European research and education networking. The project within which the network is being built and developed also includes an integrated research programme, the development of support services for network users, initiatives to monitor and address disparities in the level of development of research and education networking around Europe, and a comprehensive study into the future of European research and education networking.

The partners in the project are 30 European NRENs, DANTE and TERENA.

Objectives

The project’s overall objectives are:

• To plan, build and operate a multi-gigabit pan-European backbone research network interconnecting Europe's national research and education networks (NRENs), over which a suite of advanced services will be offered to meet the increasingly demanding requirements of Europe’s research and education community
• To conduct joint research into the development of networking technologies and services, with the primary aim of developing ideas from concept to production service to directly serve the users of GÉANT2 and its connected NRENs
• To support effectively and directly projects and users who have advanced networking requirements
• To pursue initiatives targeted at closing the 'digital divide', through both in-depth analysis of the picture of research networking in developing areas and the provision of direct support
• To examine the future of research networking, exploring the case for the sustaining of research and education networking beyond the conclusion of the project.

Funding

The programme of activities is co-funded by the European Commission within the GN2 contract, which is part of the EC’s Sixth R&D Framework Programme (often referred to as FP6). The remainder of the funding is provided by the NRENs that will be connected to the network. The contract between the project partners and the European Commission provides total funding from the EC of 93 million euro for four years from 1 September 2004.

This section of the website provides:

• A list of partners in the project
• Information on the project's management structures
• Short biographies of key project staff 
• An overview of the activities that will be undertaken in the areas of NREN development and support
• An outline of the EARNEST "foresight" study that is being conducted as part of the project, explaining its key focus and objectives.

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