The Works of DANTE - Issue 4

GÉANT2 – The European Commissioner’s view

 As Commissioner for the Information Society and Media my portfolio represents an economic sector which is crucial for prosperity and quality of life in the European Union. This portfolio stretches from the underlying communications infrastructure – such as GÉANT – to content and services delivered. It encompasses telecommunication networks, broadband Internet access and satellite communications, new communications technologies such as ‘3G’ mobile communications and Internet telephony, and digital material as diverse as cinema releases and advanced eHealth services.

e-Infrastructures

Modern ICT based infrastructures – so-called e-Infrastructures – are critical to achieving science and technology leadership. This makes them a key component of Europe’s Lisbon strategy to become the world’s most dynamic and competitive knowledge economy. e-Infrastructures play a pivotal role in the creation and exploration of knowledge and thus in promoting innovation. The momentum created around the pioneering development of e-infrastructures is huge, because research communities are finally able to enjoy the benefits of advanced communication technologies and services.

• e-Infrastructures are the motor of a triangle linking research, education and innovation.
• e-Infrastructures transform the way science is carried out and have a profound impact on the European research and education landscape.

GÉANT2 in a Global Context

GÉANT is now a solid component of this e-Infrastructure. It has abolished the distance between researchers that used to hinder collaboration. Now, with GÉANT, it no longer matters whether scientific data is on the hard disk of a local computer or on the other side of the globe. With this powerful capability, GÉANT has created the landscape in which Grid-based infrastructures can flourish.

GÉANT2 is a flagship project for the European Commission and a major success story highlighting the impact of cooperation between the European Commission and Member States.  The innovative and ambitious network currently being built will provide the technology and service to support the evolving needs of researchers as they embrace networking services as an essential component of their working environment.

GÉANT2 is a fundamental building block of the European Research Area. Through the global reach of GÉANT - via EUMEDconnect, ALICE, TEIN2 and the long lasting trans-Atlantic partnership - an advanced communication and collaboration infrastructure is provided for all research and education communities in Europe and beyond. GÉANT and the National Research and Education Networks also act as integrators of national facilities and have demonstrated their structuring effect on the European research landscape.  With GÉANT2 placing an emphasis on the usability of the network, making it easier to understand and use, networking is set to become as indispensable to many researchers as paper and pencil were in times gone by.

I look forward to seeing the impact of the new GÉANT2, within and beyond the research sector, to keep Europe at the forefront in this key area.