For Ukraine, participation in the first EU-funded EaPConnect project during the past 5 years by URAN, the national research and academic network, has brought many concrete benefits for the research and education community. So what were the highlights from URAN’s point of view?
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Network Connectivity
Ukraine’s network connectivity to the GÉANT pan-European research and education network has been improved more than once through EaPconnect, first with an upgrade in 2017, then again in 2020. With the 10 Gigabytes per second data channel provided in 2017, Ukraine was able to become more actively involved in research with CERN’s Large Hadron Collider. URAN provides a connection to this channel to Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology (KIPT) – the only Ukrainian representative in experiments with the CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid). KIPT Computing Complex is one of the best Tier-2 centres in terms of quality of work.
10 x
increased connectivity
between 2015 - 2020
55%
price drop
for data flow (Gbps)
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Clouds services
With EaPConnect’s help, URAN has created an up-to-date cloud infrastructure service that allows users to deploy computing infrastructures, store data in the required amount and does not require buying equipment or keeping technical staff. Based on this service, URAN supports academic publishing with the largest Ukrainian platform for digital academic publications, “Scientific Periodicals of Ukraine”. It serves more than 100 universities in Ukraine and dozens of institutes of five branch academies of science, producing more than 700 journals.
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Digitisation of cultural heritage
Thanks to EaPConnect, URAN purchased high-tech digitising equipment and created a centre for the digitisation of cultural heritage on the basis of the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute’s library. The digitised materials will be stored in a virtual digital library provided by the Polish national research and education network PSNC, as part of the grant. These activities are making the historical and academic archives of Ukraine available online to people even in the farthest corners of the country.
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eduroam and other services
URAN introduced modern European-level services to the Ukrainian research and education community, including eduVPN and eduMEET for online meeting and learning . The most popular though is eduroam WiFi roaming servcice. In Ukraine, 113 eduroam access points have already been set up, and there were none before the project began. To facilitate participation in eduroam for small organisations, URAN also offers the GÉANT eduroam managed IdP service.
Testimonial
Thanks to the EaPConnect project, our academics and students can get access to quality scientific content and use high-grade Wi-Fi roaming eduroam at all research and educational institutions all over the world. We are also proud that thanks to EaPConnect project, a national center for the digitisation of cultural heritage was created and hosted by our University, that our librarians are entrusted with the honorary task of preserving the rich cultural heritage of Ukraine. I look forward to further cooperating with the EaPConnect project for the benefit of my University and my country.”
EaPConnect achievements video with subtitles in Ukrainian
Anticipating outcomes of the second project
‘EU4Digital: Connecting Research and Education Communities’, the second EaPConnect project started on 1 July 2020 and will build on the achievements of the first project. The project partners shared their hopes for the second project in the GÉANT CONNECT magazine: what does this mean for Ukraine?
One of the most anticipated outcomes is bringing our digital services for R&E to European standards, as Ukraine is heading towards EU integration and standardisation is a very important part of the process. We also expect to build powerful new 100Gb/s channels to a GÉANT point of presence and Moldova. These will allow us to connect Ukrainian big data scientists to special networks such as LHCONE, or, for example, to transfer very large photos of the Earth from Copernicus.”
