“Grid - the Key to Scientific Collaboration”
a joint UNESCO, CERN, HP Event
Background information
Grid computing, designed as a democratic, collective computer networking paradigm,
has rapidly moved into the centre of attention as key future-oriented technology. Just
like it was for the WWW back in the 90s, CERN is again one of the driving forces
behind Grid computing.
Being a key tool for scientific collaboration across boundaries and building bridges,
UNESCO and HP have identified the connecting to the Grid as a logical extension of
their joint “Alleviate-Brain-Drain” programme for universities in South East
Europe. Conceived by UNESCO in the framework of its strategy for South East
Europe, this programme was jointly launched with HP in 2003 to provide grid
computing technology to universities and financial support to encourage young
scientists to remain in the region and cooperate with the Diaspora. One of the 7
universities participating in this programme, the University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius
University in Skopje, is at the same time the Macedonian representative of the South
East European Grid and has strongly supported the idea to link the “Alleviate-BrainDrain” beneficiary universities to the SEE Grid to further build on the cooperation and
leverage new opportunities within Europe. UNESCO and HP thus support these
universities to develop the tools and grid know how, for example enabling the
participation at the recent Grid 2005 EGEE Summer School in Budapest. Preceding
the overall Grid event, we will jointly discuss the achieved readiness and the next
steps in a workshop.
The SEE Grid forms part of the EGEE Grid (Enabling Grids for E-sciencE), which will
be built on the EU Research Network GÉANT and exploit Grid expertise generated
by many EU, national and international Grid projects to date. It is funded by the
European Commission and involves 70 leading organisations from 27 countries. With
an ultimate combined capacity of over 20000 CPUs the EGEE will represent the
largest international Grid infrastructure ever assembled.
The CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is the leading member
of the EGEE grid and with the upcoming LHC grid the focus of attention of
researchers from all over Europe and far beyond. A major milestone has been
achieved in April, when eight major computing centres successfully completed a
challenge to sustain a continuous data flow of 600 megabytes per second (MB/s) on
average for 10 days from CERN in Geneva, Switzerland to seven sites in Europe and
the US. The total amount of data transmitted during this challenge—500 terabytes—
would take about 250 years to download using a typical 512 kilobit per second
household broadband connection. This exercise was part of a series of service
challenges designed to test the global computing infrastructure for the Large Hadron
Collider (LHC) currently being built at CERN to study the fundamental properties of
subatomic particles and forces.
UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and
founder of CERN, views the Grid as an increasingly important tool for “collaboration
among nations” as its mission states.
HP as a committed partner for UNESCO in the Alleviate-Brain-Drain Programme and
active supporter of the Grid development, is working with many of the members of
the EGEE Grid to build the computing infrastructure to be able to deliver on the
vision. HP contributes to develop robust Grids, based on open standards, e.g. as
platinum member of Global Grid Forum (GGF), and effective Grid implementation,
hosting and management services. HP collaborates with the CERN and will join the
operational grid for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), linking computing resources at
its HP Labs locations.
Based on this collaboration-fostering and research-enabling role of the Grid,
UNESCO and HP appreciate the opportunity to invite current and future Grid
members, universities, among them the beneficiaries of the Alleviate-Brain-Drain
programme, and research institutions mainly from Central and Eastern Europe, to the
home of one of the main Grid driving forces, the CERN. Based on presentations of
key Grid protagonists from CERN, the European Commission, the EGEE Grid and
best practises from grid members, the participants, leading representatives of these
universities and institutions, will be able to learn about the capabilities of the Grid, the
opportunities to leverage them for their research work and participate in international
projects. Furthermore the participants will benefit from a CERN guided tour the
impressive LHC facilities, the world’s largest scientific instrument.
In addition we have planned to schedule a press briefing to share the results of the
Alleviate-Brain-Drain programme and outline the huge scientific collaboration
capabilities within the Grid. Of course we would very much appreciate a statement
from CERN as key driver of the Grid and best example how it can be used across
boundaries with impressive results.