Electronic Networking: EUMEDCONNECT Project

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Electronic NetworkingEUMEDCONNECT Project

• Sabine Jaume-Rajaonia
• External affairs manager
• GIP RENATER

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Partners

• Coordinating Partner - DANTE
• MED partners/beneficiaries
• Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon,
  Malta, Morocco, Palestinian Authority, Syria,
  Tunisia, Turkey
• EU partners
• National Research and Education Networks (NRENs)
  of
• France , Greece, Italy and Spain
• Funded up to 10 M EURO/80 by European Commission
  DG AIDCO EUMEDIS programme
• Remaining funding - from beneficiaries
• Contracted - to June 2006

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EUMEDCONNECT Objectives

• To establish an electronic, Internet-based
  network in the Mediterranean region to
• Connect MED Partners research and education
  communities to Europe via GÉANT
• Enable research and educational collaboration
  within the MED region
• Thereby
• Ease the EU-MED research networking digital
  divide
• Strengthen human relationships and stability

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Project Environment

• Monopoly national operators
• Limited international telecoms infrastructure and
  poor investment conditions
• Unaffordably high commercial prices
• De-regulation slow, competition weak
• No consortium
• Difficult political climate

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Now, the Mediterranean region is connected

• Capacity provided as point to point
• International leased circuits
• EUMEDCONNECT tightly linked to
• GEANT
• Topology is the outcome of a
• challenging tender

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EUMEDCONNECT NETWORK
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Achievements connectivity
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But also ..

• Increase the number of users Connecting major
  project sites (instead of via commercial
  Internet)
• Develop applications
• Hosting project databases in any connected
  country
• Grid computing
• Real-time applications requiring high bandwidths
  and reliable connections (e.g. videoconferencing,
  tele-medecine)

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Who is using the network?

• Over 100 Mediterranean universities and research
  centres connected for first time
• Researchers and students in the 25 EU Member
  States and 9 Mediterranean Partner Countries
• EUMEDIS Pilot projects e.g.
• STRABON (tourism and culture)
• MEDFORIST (e-Business learning)
• EUMEDCancer (Medical e-Learning)
• AVICENNA (Virtual campus)
• MVU (Virtual university)
• EUMEDGRID first Grid Computing project for
  Mediterranean region, based on EGEE experience,
  planned from late 2005 for 2 years

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Beyond June 2006

• Current EUMEDCONNECT network costing 3 4 M Euro
  per year
• Partners want EUMEDCONNECT to continue after June
  2006 but need continued external funding
  assistance
• Modalities for extension being discussed with
  European Commission

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Conclusions

• EUMEDCONNECT now connects the Mediterranean
  regions research community and with the European
  community -gt synergy
• Provides high performance Internet infrastructure
  for further EU/MED collaborative programmes
• Offers one successful model for other African
  research networking projects
• Contact
• david.west_at_dante.org.uk
• or visit
• www.eumedconnect.net