News archive - SEERA-EI project kick off: From eInfrastructure Technology Provision to Regional Vision and Sustainable Cooperation in South East Europe
A new ERA for eInfrastructures in South East Europe has begun with the launch of the European project SEERA-EI (South East European Research Area for eInfrastructures). SEERA-EI kicked off in Athens on 9th April 2009, and it will provide an open forum for national-level programme owners in order to enable the coordination of national programmes in the field of electronic infrastructures. The initiative brings together 19 partners from 10 countries in the South-East European region and will set the framework for the adoption of a common regional agenda for eInfrastructure. SEERA-EI receives EC support through FP7 under the "Research Infrastructures" action.
Specifically, the project will gather and exchange information regarding current e-Infrastructure programmes, and a state-of-the-art analysis will be carried out. Through the analysis, a set of best practices and guidelines for national eInfrastructure programmes will be produced, and areas for joint regional activities will be identified, ranging from short-term soft actions, mid-term policy-level actions, to preparatory activities for long-term actions.
SEERA-EI is coordinated by the Greek Research & Technology Network (GRNET) and the partnership consists of 10 programme owners – Ministries and Research councils involved in national funding of electronic infrastructures, and 9 “operational” partners, typically operating the infrastructures in the respective countries and implementing the programmes strategy.
The initiative builds on the lasting cooperation in the SEE region, embodied in a number of EC-funded initiatives: the SEEREN initiative has established a regional network, while the regional Grid infrastructure has been created through the SEE-GRID project; the SEE-GRID-SCI project empowers strategic regional user communities in common use of the eInfrastructure. The Greek-sponsored SEE-LIGHT project is currently establishing dark-fibre backbone in the region.
"GRNET’s enduring commitment to SEE regional electronic infrastructure activities stems from our wish to support and collaborate with our neighbors in the wider South-Eastern European area; as well as from the proven success of a series of projects which have set the blueprint for regional eInfrastructure developments. GRNET will continue to lead the current and upcoming regional initiatives, with the common regional vision to pave the way for the set-up of sustainable national and regional electronic infrastructure in South-East Europe”, noted Panayiotis Tsanakas, GRNET chairman.
SEERA-EI will ensure local commitment and a harmonized approach towards national-level initiatives in electronic infrastructures. The initiative will pave the way towards common regional vision, strategy and sustainable cooperation, which will give the region a common voice on European and international stage and strengthen the ERA as a whole, enabling collaborative high-quality research across a spectrum of scientific fields.
Links
SEERA-EI, www.seera-ei.eu, coming soon
SEEREN, www.seeren.org
SEE-GRID, www.see-grid.eu
SEE-GRID-SCI, www.see-grid-sci.eu
SEE-LIGHT, to be announced
Contact:
Ognjen Prnjat, oprnjat@grnet.gr, +30 210 7474283
Entry created by Elke Dall on April 26, 2009
Modified on April 26, 2009
