FromGrid-technologies to elnfrastuctures
R
ecent developments in Europe in the area of research
infrastructures have resulted in pan-European coverage
by a high speed research network (GEANT), as well as in
National Research and Education Networks in the member
states. At the same time, Grid-technologies, which are based
on a model of shared computing systems (computing
resources such as computing power, data storage resources
and databases that are located in different geographical
areas and are accessible by many users) have given a new
boost to the researchers' capability to process information.
The two aforementioned developments converge in
elnfrastructure, which is expected to constitute an essential
instrument for creating the European Research Area, by
connecting more than 3.000 research institutes and giving the
whole European community of scientists access to an
abundance of information resources.
"The EU elnfrastructures initiative - Towards integrated
networking and Grids infrastructures for eScience and
beyond", an initiative launched during the Greek Presidency,
was the topic of the international conference organised on 12
June 2003, in Athens, by the General Secretariat for Research
and Technology, the Greek Research and Technology
Network and the National Documentation Centre, in
collaboration with the European Commission, within the scope
of the Greek Presidency.
The conference included discussions on the framework for
easier, faster and economical access by the European
research community to all types of computing and information
resources, as well as on the promotion of the implementation
of a model to accelerate its commercial exploitation.
Mr. Mario Campolargo, DG Information Society of the EC
In an interview given to the magazine "Innovation, Research
and Technology", Mario Campolargo, Head of Unit for
Research Infrastructure in the DG Information Society of the
European Commission, presented the EU initiatives for GRID
technologies in the Framework Programmes and highlighted
the opportunities offered by the elnfrastructure for the
creation of a virtual research community, with researchers
sharing research instruments through their desktops.
Particular emphasis was put on the Greek Presidency's
initiatives for enhancing cooperation and interaction between
the EU member states.
International cooperation initiatives between the EU and Israel,
Morocco, Tunisia
I
mportant agreements for scientific and technological
cooperation between the EU and Israel, Morocco and
Tunisia were reached during the Greek presidency,
highlighting the central role of Greece in the promotion of
initiatives for international research cooperation in the
Mediterranean and, generally, in the wider region of SE Europe.
Specifically, the agreement between the EU and Israel was
signed on 10 June 2003, aiming to reinforce the links of the
research and academic communities of the two parties. The
agreement envisages the economic contribution of Israel to
the community budget, as well as the participation of its
national delegates as observers in the committees for the 6th
Framework Programme and CREST.
Relevant agreements for scientific and technological
cooperation with Morocco and Tunisia were signed on 26
June 2003, in Thessaloniki, on the sidelines of the Ministerial
Conference for cooperation between the EU and the Balkans.
Until the signing of these agreements, cooperation between
the EU and the above countries was based exclusively on
specific activities of the EU programmes for Mediterranean
countries that started in the early 1980s for various sectors of
science and technology.
34
ΚΑΙΝΟΤΟΜΙ
ΑEPEYMf t ΚΑΙ ΤΕΧΝΟΛΟΓΙ
Α
