The AzScienceNet Network Operation Centre of the Institute of Information Technology of the Academy of Science in Azerbaijan becomes a member of the eduGAIN interfederation service.  The decision to join eduGAIN was put to the vote and a striking majority (46 out of 52) of voters from AzScienceNet approved the eduGAIN membership with full marks.

The eduGAIN interfederation service connects identity federations around the world, simplifying access to content, services and resources for the global research and education community. eduGAIN comprises over 70 participating federations connecting more than 8,000 Identity and Service Providers.

“We are delighted to join the eduGAIN interfederation service as we hope it will help us meet and achieve one of our most important objectives for Research and Education in Azerbaijan, which is the access to qualitative scientific and educational online content to reduce the knowledge gap with the rest of Europe.’

Rasim Alguliyev, General Director of IIT of ANAS

Specialists from LITNET, the Research and Education network of Lithuania, held a series of training sessions on the “Establishment and development of the Identity Federation” for AzScienceNet personnel at IIT of ANAS, within the framework of the EU-funded EapConnect project managed by GÉANT. The detailed training programme included presentations and practical sessions on the selection of appropriate software and architecture, the establishment of local federations and support for the installation of the service.

eduGAIN training for AzScienceNet personnel by LITNET specialists, ©IIT of ANAS

“This achievement stimulates collaboration possibilities with the enabled use of trusted identity in the R&E community, and at the same time benefits the development of consistent access to locally available NREN services. eduGAIN is a mechanism that unlocks more possibilities for researchers and educators to gain access to a wider range of resources and services.”

Irina Matthews, EaPConnect Project Manager