Brussels, 03/11/2010 (Agence Europe) - GÉANT, the EU-funded high speed research network, is celebrating its tenth anniversary, giving the European Commission the opportunity to take stock of progress made in scientific research since the network was put in place in 2000 and to state its desire to continue to promote cooperation between the EU and the rest of the world to tackle some of the biggest challenges in areas as diverse as medicine or climate change, said Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes. She stated: “The power and scope of GÉANT ensure Europe remains a central hub for research and education, offering the best infrastructure to the brightest minds in the world”.
GÉANT is a 50,000 km long pan-European data highway which connects national research and education networks (NRENs) across Europe. Thanks to dedicated point-to-point high speed internet links between research centres, 40 million users in 40 countries can collaborate in real time on research projects, whether it is a matter of vital information on climate observations or breakthroughs in medical research. GÉANT is also hooked up to 9 other regional research and education networks, reaching some 85 million users worldwide. With funding from the European Commission and Europe's NRENs, the GÉANT network today uses 50,000 km of network infrastructure, including 12,000 km of optical fibre across Europe. GÉANT has increased its internet speed from 155 megabits per second (Mbps) to 10 Gigabits per second (Gbps) during the past decade. The network now has high speed links to Asia, the Mediterranean, Southern Africa, Latin America and the Black Sea. It also connects Pakistan to the global research community. (I.L./transl.rt)