Ε.Ε (Directorate General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations - DG NEAR)
The aim of the project is to expand connectivity between research and education (R&E) communities in the Eastern Partnership (EaP) and the European research and education network GEANT which is supported by services and strengthened and sustainable organisations in the national research and education network (NREN).
The Eastern Partnership Connect (EaPConnect) project was first launched by EU in 2015 with the aim of improving the intra-regional connectivity of the Eastern Region (Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia) and to facilitate the participation of local scientists, students and academics in the EU and global Research and Education (R&E) sectors.
Thanks to the activities of the EaP Connect project, the National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) of the participating countries are now interconnected and largely integrated into the pan-European GEANT network, which is a fundamental element of the European e-Infrastructure ecosystem for the promotion of scientific excellence, research, education and innovation.
The EaPConnect 2 project is based on the previous action (EaPConnect) and will enhance the use of newly established connectivity, aiming at a wider base of users and enhancing the sustainability of EaP NRENs by supporting them in their move towards full integration as members with full rights within the GEANT organisation.
The main role of GRNET concerns the services and cooperation with EU infrastructures, activities which are expected to contribute to the achievement of the following strategic objectives for the period 01/01/2023 - 30/06/2025:
- Increase the use of the services implemented in the framework of the project
and offer new services to promote international cooperation in Research & Education (R&E)
- Strengthen the position of EaP NRENs in national R&E ecosystems
The following partners participate in the project:
- GÉANT Vereniging (Coordinator - Netherlands)
- URAN - Association of Users of Ukrainian Research and Academic Network (Ukraine)
- RENAM - Research and Educational Networking Association of Moldova (Moldova)
- GRENA - Georgian Research and Educational Networking Association (Georgia)
- IIT of ANAS - Institute of Information Technology of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (Azerbaijan)
- IIAP NAS RA - Institute for Informatics and Automation Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia (Armenia)
The estimated budget will be 95% funded by the EU Directorate General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) and 5% by GRNET’s own resources.
