The international conference, RENAM E-Infrastructure – Supporting Excellence in National Research and Education, celebrating RENAM’s 25th anniversary was held on 8 October 2024 at Moldova State University in Chișinău. The Regina Maria hall, illuminated by natural sunlight streaming through its large windows, created a welcoming atmosphere for about 100 participants from 31 organisations and 14 countries. Attendees included representatives from RENAM’s connected institutions, Eastern Partnership, EU NRENs, and ‘EU4Digital: Connecting Research and Education Communities’ (EaPConnect) project, plus representatives of GEANT as well as the Moldovan government and EU officials. RENAM is one of the five beneficiary members of the EU-funded (€23.5M) EaPConnect Project. By extending reliable and cost-effective infrastructure and services, this project aims to support education and to boost scientific exchange between the Eastern Partnership region and EU member states to achieve closer collaboration and mutual growth.
A warm welcome
Igor Chiosa, from the Ministry of Education and Research of the Republic of Moldova, opened the event: “RENAM is a trusted partner that has been instrumental in advancing research and education (R&E) in Moldova. We need reliable partners to develop the sector we oversee. Only by working together we can achieve our objectives for the growth of our country and European integration”.
Igor Sharov, Rector of Moldova State University took the stage:
We are celebrating a month of significant events at Moldova State University, the largest university in Moldova. Despite facing challenges, our focus on digitalisation remains strong. The history of RENAM is a testament to our country’s resilience and ability to adapt to challenges while bringing people together. We are proud to host this event and celebrate the amazing collaboration and teamwork that RENAM represents. As we navigate the reorganisation of higher education, RENAM remains a key partner in this journey, and we look forward to embarking on new projects together and discussing future strategies. We cannot imagine the future of Moldova without our valued partners.
Global connectivity – global opportunities
Ion Tiginyanu, President of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, talked about RENAM’s historical milestones, the development of RENAM national optical backbone and connectivity to GÉANT: “RENAM external connections capacity has increased by 20 times from 10 Gbps to 2×100 Gbps. RENAM’s creation, development and activities contribute to the integration of the Republic of Moldova into the European Research Area”.
Erik Huizer, CEO of GÉANT, underlined the principles that unite the R&E community and the benefits of being part of this human and digital network: “RENAM is essential for Moldova, as it enables Moldovan students and researchers to connect globally by providing access to Europe’s largest research and education network, built on principles of trust, commitment to innovation, and support for education and science across borders.”
Eastern Partnership – bridging the digital divide
Thibault Charlet, Programme Manager for Digital Transformation, DG NEAR (Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations), European Commission, emphasising the importance of digital connectivity, highlighted that in the Eastern Partnership region the 265 institutions connected are now benefiting 750,000 users. Reflecting on the significant achievements of EaPConnect project over the past decade, he added how GÉANT services, such as eduroam and eduGAIN have been pivotal in driving digital innovation in the region. Thibault Charlet underlined the critical role of EaPConnect in the EU’s strategy, noting that digital transformation is essential for regional growth.
The EU’s objective is to ensure that everyone in the region can participate in the digital economy and society. This includes providing high-speed, affordable connectivity. Additionally, in order to reduce the digital divides, our efforts focus on the alignment with EU standards in the fields of telecommunications (e.g. the reduction of roaming charges), digital innovation and cybersecurity, as we see them as crucial steps towards the achievement of this goal.
RENAM and the regional growth
Irina Matthews, EaPConnect Project Manager from GÉANT commented: ”Over the past 25 years, RENAM has become a crucial enabler and supporter of research and education in Moldova, fostering partnerships on the national and international scale. The EaPConnect project directly contributed to the growth of regional (Romania-Moldova-Ukraine-Poland) technologically advanced spectrum connectivity with the unprecedented increase in the network capacity. This ensures that RENAM will continue to play a pivotal role in the growth and development of the R&E sector in Moldova now and in the future”. The heartfelt congratulatory messages for RENAM from the EaPConnect project partners: GRENA (Georgia), AzScienceNet (Azerbaijan) and ASNET-AM (Armenia) are a testament to the strong cohesion that this ten-year-long project has fostered on professional, technical, and human levels.
Stronger together – the importance of collaboration
Yevhenii Preobrazhensky, Director of URAN, the Ukrainian NREN, who participated remotely, explained how, despite ongoing attacks on the telecommunication and power infrastructure, URAN’s mission to maintain connectivity never stops. As the only motorised member of the URAN team, Yevhenii has been single-handedly running the network by delivering fuel to power generators during outages. “The challenges are countless and overwhelming, but resilience through teamwork and international support can ensure a strong future for Ukrainian R&E.”
Representatives from the European NRENs, PSNC (Poland) and GARR (Italy) took the stage to emphasise the importance of community collaboration and the crucial role played by NRENs in addressing research challenges. They underlined the need for national and international collaboration to address societal challenges and future needs sharing the belief that science transcends borders.
The address by Octavian Rusu from RoEduNet, the Romanian NREN, highlighting the strong and long-standing relationship with RENAM was followed by presentations on eduVPN, which provides secure and encrypted internet access for education and research, OCRE (Open Clouds for Research Environments) framework and its benefits for the R&E community. The session closed with a talk by AWS on the growing collaboration with NRENs and universities in the context of OCRE.
Delivering the impact – experience and perspective of Moldovan users
Sergiu Corlat, Vice-Rector for digitalisation at Moldova State University, presented the transformation of the university network and connection of its two campuses through optic fiber, which became the basis for the new generation network and eduroam campus coverage. In addition, the new University Data Centre, opened in May 2024, is powerful enough to ensure that all the learning and communications needs of students, lecturers and researchers are met.
The event closed on a high note with stimulating presentations on the opportunities and challenges for Open Science in Moldova and how advanced technologies are supporting the public health system. In particular, Dr Diana Valuta, Head of the Cervical Screening Coordination Unit at the Research Institute for Mother and Child Healthcare, in her passionate address, presented the impressive example of the National Colposcopy Network. This network, launched to enhance cervical cancer screening and prevention is already starting to provide women in Moldova with better access to colposcopy services. RENAM’s involvement consists in the provision of technical support for video conferencing with a complex solution that uses WebRTC technology making it possible to increase access to health services without undue delays.
Sustainability and the expanding human network
In addition to the international conference celebrating RENAM’s 25th Anniversary, a series of important meetings took place in Chișinău throughout the week. The GÉANT procurement team met with local connectivity providers to better understand the opportunities, constraints, and challenges of the connectivity market in Moldova. Better understanding of the market conditions will help to shape future connectivity plans for RENAM.
A delegation from the international R&E community, DG NEAR, members of RENAM and representatives from the EaPConnect project visited the Ion Creangă State Pedagogical University (UPSC) and the Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova (ASEM). Their meetings with the rectors of UPSC and ASEM, underlined RENAM’s crucial role in providing connectivity and services that enable seamless access to learning, both nationally and internationally. The meetings offered valuable insights into the future plans and challenges faced by Moldova’s R&E community, highlighting areas where RENAM can offer further support and where it may need additional resources to enhance its capacities and competencies.
A significant meeting also took place with Dan Perciun, Minister of Education and Research of the Republic of Moldova. Representatives from RENAM, GÉANT, DG NEAR and the EC Delegation in Moldova, accompanied by the Rector of Moldova State University and the President of the Academy of Sciences took part in discussions at the ministry to emphasise the importance of RENAM for the country, the significance of GÉANT membership, and the continued engagement with European research initiatives to enhance societal benefits for the population of Moldova.