FAQs

Up to December 2019, the EUMEDCONNECT3 project is co-funded with EUR3.2m by the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) of the European Union from its regional European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI South). The remaining funds are being contributed by the partners.

EUMEDCONNECT3 and its services are free at point of use.

EUMEDCONNECT3 builds on the success of its predecessor project, EUMEDCONNECT2. The first phase of the project, EUMEDCONNECT launched in 2004 under the European Commission’s Euro-Mediterranean Information Society (EUMEDIS) programme, which aimed to develop an inclusive Information Society in the region, EUMEDCONNECT created the first regional data-communications network for the Mediterranean. The project officially ended in December 2007 but, thanks to the ongoing interest of the European Commission and the commitment of the project partners, a smooth transition to EUMEDCONNECT2 was ensured. EUMEDCONNECT3 was then launched in September 2011. The importance of the network’s seamless continuation has been highlighted at major EU-MED e-infrastructures and ministerial conferences in Europe and in the Middle East.

The project was subsequently extended to the end of 2016 and, more recently, to 2019.

Prior to July 2015, EUMEDCONNECT3 served also the North African partners countries Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia which have now joined the EU-funded AfricaConnect project.

EUMEDCONNECT3 maintains in a more cost-effective way the high-bandwidth connectivity established by its predecessors and continues to serve the growing number of projects for which the network has become an essential infrastructure. The advanced connectivity allows researchers to run data-intensive applications at speeds that are unavailable, unreliable or unaffordable over the commercial Internet.

EUMEDCONNECT3 promotes digital inclusion, providing wider access to cutting-edge network resources and reducing the digital disparity between the Mediterranean and Europe. It also furthers regional integration by linking research and academic communities throughout the Mediterranean.

Many of the applications supported by this state-of-the-art infrastructure have a high societal impact, thus contributing significantly to population welfare and sustainable development in the region.

In addition, many of today’s global challenges, such as climate change or epidemic diseases, require global collaboration to tackle their specific local impacts. EUMEDCONNECT3 fully integrates Mediterranean researchers into the global Information Society to help identify and deliver local solutions.

The current EUMEDCONNECT3 beneficiary partners are Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine with ASREN acting as the regional partner organisation.

Other NRENs in the Mediterranean region can collaborate with EUMEDCONNECT3 partners via their direct GÉANT links.

The EUMEDCONNECT3 project is coordinated by GÉANT (formerly DANTE), a not-for-profit organisation that also operates regional networking projects in other parts of the world.

Supporting GÉANT in the project are the National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) of Cyprus (CyNet), France (RENATER), Greece (GRNET), Italy (Consortium GARR) and Spain (RedIRIS).

Launched in 2011, EUMEDCONNECT3 is scheduled to run until the end of 2021.

The network is fundamental to data-intensive research that addresses problems to which the Mediterranean is particularly vulnerable, such as desertification and water shortage; it helps promote sustainable farming and supports innovative ways of providing broader access to healthcare and education.

Bandwidth-hungry applications include climate change research and impact studies, e-health, e-learning and e-culture. Many of these applications require distributed (grid) computing resources and can draw on the powerful EUMEDGRID, which is enabled by the underlying network infrastructure.

Many of the applications supported by EUMEDCONNECT3 are of high societal impact, bringing direct benefit to the general population.

EUMEDCONNECT3 builds on the proven success of its predecessor networks. It maintains the high-bandwidth connectivity in a more cost-effective way, offering an improved and expanding service to a growing number of projects.

Since its launch in 2004, EUMEDCONNECT has been used by a steadily increasing number of activities, with many research disciplines coming to rely on the connectivity. The EUMEDCONNECT project phases have migrated users onto the network, ensuring uninterrupted service for projects for which the network has become an essential infrastructure. A further increase in the number of collaborative programmes making use of the network is expected, and there is the potential to extend EUMEDCONNECT3 to other countries in the region. Creating closer working relationships with Europe will build international research communities to tackle issues of global importance and enable researchers in the Mediterranean to contribute to ground-breaking world-class projects.

To benefit from the EUMEDCONNECT3 infrastructure, prospective users should contact their local NREN, to establish whether their host institution is already connected. If it is, they are ready to use EUMEDCONNECT3! If it isn’t, the national network will advise them of the application procedure.

Contact details for each NREN are supplied on the Partners page.