EU-Med Event 2
e-Infrastructures in the Mediterranean
Health, education and the environment within the Mediterranean region are all benefitting from the growth of e-infrastructures, such as high-speed Internet connections and distributed (grid) computing. e-Infrastructures for research and education allow members of the Mediterranean region's scientific and academic communities to work together, and with their counterparts from the European Union (EU). Many of the projects they collaborate on will benefit people in the Mediterranean, promoting not only scientific but also social development. Yet the availability, quality and accessibility of e-infrastructures are still significantly uneven - not only across the region, but within individual countries.
To hear about the successes so far and to discuss the economics, policies and strategies needed to achieve the long-term sustainability of e-infrastructures in the region, the 'EU-Med Event' on 4 November will bring together project researchers, invited policy makers and civil servants from relevant ministries and institutions, executives and officials from international organisations as well as private companies and foundations.
The programme features VIP speakers, who will provide insights about the status and perspectives of e-infrastructures in the Mediterranean. It will also include interactive sessions in which users of these e-infrastructures show how their work has a positive practical and social impact in the region.
Finally, the event will provide an opportunity to celebrate both the achievements of the regional research and education data communications network EUMEDCONNECT and the launch of its successor, EUMEDCONNECT2.
Members of the press are welcome to attend the event, including the early evening launch celebration. Please notify the local contact organiser (Oxygen Events) in advance if you wish to attend or to arrange interviews.
FURTHER INFORMATION
EU-Med Event 2:
- Builds on the success of an initial event that was held in Brussels, Belgium, in October 2007. It brought together VIP speakers and an invited audience from more than 15 countries around Europe and the Mediterranean region to discuss collaborations in e-infrastructures and networking for research and education.
- Is hosted by three sponsoring projects that foster the creation of e-infrastructures in the Mediterranean region: EUMEDCONNECT2, LinkSCEEM, and the Development Support activity of GN2 (GEANT2), thanks to the support of the European Commission.
- Is organised by DANTE, TERENA and Consortium GARR under the auspices of these projects. Active support is also being provided by JUNet, the Jordanian Universities Network.
EUMEDCONNECT2:
- Follows the end of the project to establish the EUMEDCONNECT network (2004 to December 2007).
- Provides a high-capacity dedicated Internet for the research and education communities of the Mediterranean region and is linked to the pan-European research and education network, GEANT2.
- Benefits countries in the Mediterranean region including: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Syria and Tunisia.
- Jointly funded by the European Commission and the Mediterranean partners to reduce the digital disparity between the Mediterranean and European regions.
GN2 (GEANT2):
- Is a large-scale research infrastructure project in the 6th Framework Programme of the European Commission and is co-funded by the EC and by 34 of Europe's national research and education networks.
- The best-known service provided by the GN2 project is the multi-gigabit pan-European research and education network GEANT2. The network and project are managed by DANTE.
- A number of other activities are included in the GN2 project, among them the 'Networking Development Support' activity. It aims to understand the status of research and education networking in and around Europe and to undertake specific actions in support of research networking organisations in countries where relevant policies, technologies and services are less advanced.
LinkSCEEM:
- Supports the development of a Computation-based Science and Technology Research Centre (CSTRC) by the Cyprus Institue, and its integration with the European high-performance computing and computational science environment.
- Organises remote and trans-national access by virtual communities of users from the Eastern Mediterranean region.
- Will conduct a feasibility study for the creation of a regional research network to interconnect eastern Mediterranean countries with each other and with Cyprus. Will disseminate information from studies and actions of the project among decision-makers and the research and education communities.
- LinkSCEEM is funded by the European Commission through the FP7-Capacities programme.
- Ends -
More information and the updated programme are available at: www.terena.org/eumedevent2
Press Release 2008
