Asia-Pacific research networking boosted by new €18 million investment
Tender process begins for next generation 30 million user TEIN3 network
Thursday 21 February 2008, Cambridge, UK: Collaboration between researchers in the Asia-Pacific region and their peers across the globe has been extended by an €18 million investment in the new TEIN3 high speed research and education network from the European Union and its Asian partners. The new network is set to initially link eleven countries at speeds of up to 2.5 Gbps and run until 2011. It will enable increased co-operation between researchers in over 4,000 institutions across the region, and underpin global collaboration through links to the European GÉANT2 network.
The European Union has announced funding of €12 million, backed by an additional €6 million from Asian National Research Education Networks (NRENs) TEIN3 will be operated by research networking organisation DANTE, which also operates GÉANT2. TEIN3 is planned to initially link China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Australia. Plans to extend the network to further Asian countries are under consideration.
The new generation of the TEIN network is a vital part of the European Union’s aim to create a global research community that bridges the digital divide and delivers tangible benefits to the wider world.
Preparations for the tendering of TEIN3 have begun, with suppliers already showing a keen interest. The tender will officially start in late March 2008.
TEIN3 extends the success of the existing TEIN2 network, which currently links research institutions in ten countries across South East Asia. TEIN2 was launched to help bridge the digital divide and has enabled significant projects in telemedicine, disaster warning and sustainable development since its launch in 2005. For example, scientists in the Philippines and Germany are working together to predict typhoons, Australian doctors are able to carry out remote consultations on Vietnamese children and medical staff across the region are being trained through e-learning on the latest surgical procedures.
“This significant funding for TEIN3 opens a new chapter in research networking for the Asia-Pacific region,” commented Dai Davies, managing director, DANTE. “It will enable us to build on the achievements of TEIN2 and create an even faster, more comprehensive network that links the researchers of the region to their peers around the world. Global challenges such as climate change, sustainable development and medical research require truly global collaboration – TEIN3 will help researchers make major progress through working with their international peers.”
TEIN3 will link to the European GÉANT2 network, the world’s most advanced international research and education network. Through GÉANT2’s connections, researchers in the region will be able to collaborate with colleagues across other EU-funded networks in Latin America, North Africa and the Middle East, as well in the USA through the Internet2 network, thus creating a truly global research community.
“Since starting to discuss the tender process we’ve already seen tremendous interest in TEIN3 from telecommunications companies and equipment providers,” added David West, TEIN3 project manager. “We look forward to working with our partners and suppliers to ensure that TEIN3 delivers the capabilities that the region’s researchers need now and in the future.”
Details of the EU funding announcement can be found at: http://ec.europa.eu/
About TEIN
TEIN (Trans-Eurasia Information Network) – creates the first large-scale research and education network for the Asia-Pacific region. It connects regional researchers with their counterparts in Europe via GÉANT2, the world’s most advanced international research and education network, providing the Asia-Pacific countries with a gateway for global research collaboration. TEIN3, the latest generation of the network is set to receive €18 million of funding from the EU and Asian partners.
First conceived in 2000 and now due to run until 2011, the TEIN project is contributing to the further development of the Trans-Eurasia Information Network (TEIN) initiative, which was an outcome of the Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) to improve research networking between Europe and Asia-Pacific. Through TEIN, the first Europe-Asia link dedicated for research and education was established bilaterally between RENATER in France and KISDI in South Korea, with the installation of a connection in December 2001.
Working in collaboration with DANTE on TEIN2 and TEIN3 are RENATER, SURFnet and UKERNA, the National Research and Education Networks of France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, respectively. The Asian partners are China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam; Australia is also actively participating. For more information please visit www.tein2.net
About DANTE:
DANTE is a non-profit organisation whose primary mission is to plan, build and manage research and education networks. Established in 1993, DANTE has been fundamental to the success of pan-European research and education networking. DANTE has built and operates GÉANT2 which provides the data communications infrastructure essential to the success of many research projects in Europe. DANTE is involved in worldwide initiatives to interconnect countries in other regions to one another and to GÉANT2. DANTE currently manages projects focused on the Mediterranean, Latin American and Asia-Pacific regions through the EUMEDCONNECT, ALICE and TEIN2 projects respectively. For more information, please visit www.dante.net
Contact:
Chris Measures/Clodagh Boyle/Elke Panzner
Rainier PR (on behalf of DANTE)
+44(0)20 7494 6570
dante@rainierpr.co.uk
Helen Martindale
DANTE
Direct: +44 (0)1223 371 328
Mobile: +44 (0)7823 538090
helen.martindale@dante.org.uk
