Horizon2020 ↔ ERA ↔ NRENs (The Future Has Already Started …)
Bálint Lajos dr.
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NIIF Intézet
Say good-bye to the past and welcome the future – the evergreen but mostly useless phrase communicates an important message to Europe with the coming advent of Horizon2020, the next EU framework for R&D and innovation, the new framework taking over and expanding the role of FP7, the Union’s soon closing 7th Framework Programme of Research and Technological Development.
Gradual, and foreseeably accelerating, positive changes in the conditions, organisation, funding, administration, and overall approach of doing scientific research and technological development will characterise a soon starting pan-European process, presumably well exploited and enjoyed by all EU member states – a process drastically increasing the significance of academic and research networking (1) through the establishment and strengthening of the ERA (the European Research Area), (2) through the geographically distributed but functionally integrated development of its RI (Research Infrastructure) constituent, and especially (3) through the unbelievably fast growing role of the e-Infrastructure. This radically increasing role is well mirrored by the complex but, thanks to user attended and efficiency-oriented development, friendly combination of various
- communication,
- collaboration, and
- increasingly virtualised computing and storage, as well as
- grid and cloud, etc.
facilities, functions and services and their wide accessibility not only available for strengthening the various research and education activities but also for aiding the complete innovation chain.
European NRENs (National Research and Education Networks) are probably facing the most exciting period of their history – a new period characterised by an as yet unforeseen variety of challenges and opportunities, and by a higher than ever social and economic responsibility associated to their activities in offering advanced e-Infrastructure facilities and providing indispensable e-Infrastructure services.
All these processes are briefly introduced and characterised by the contribution which tries to provide an as exhaustive overview within the limited frameworks of a short presentation as possible. Special attention will be paid to the supposed European embedding and to the assumed operational conditions foreseen for the 2014-2020 (Horizon2020) period.