Experiments involving sensing in cables, time & frequency distribution, and extended use of federated access are some of the novelties as the European research and education network (GÉANT) begins a new phase.
Sensors able to monitor the surroundings of optic cables, and nano-second management of time & frequency distribution are two powerful tools. Both can contribute to scientific discoveries while also providing early warnings in case of attempts by outsiders to interfere with cables and data traffic. The potential will be investigated over the coming 30 months, as the European research and education network (GÉANT) enters a new project phase.
“The relevance of smart cables and nano-second precision clock synchronization is obvious. Still, several points need further investigation. Besides the technical challenges, we must address individual legal and policy issues. How should responsibility be shared among the actors across borders? And specifically, what should be the role of the NRENs (National Research and Education Networks, ed.)?” comments Lars Fischer, Chief Relations Officer at NORDUnet and member of the GÉANT Association Board of Directors.
Strong Nordic involvement
The GÉANT Project has been running for almost 25 years, always with strong Nordic active participation, Lars Fischer underscores:
“For many activities you can just achieve better results when you have partners and are challenged on your ideas. We try to be involved in the GÉANT activities which fit the Nordic strategy best and where we can offer significant contributions.”
The level of Nordic involvement can be illustrated by the fact that the equivalent of 22 full-time employees is engaged in work related to the GÉANT project. Most of this activity is at the Nordic NRENs, with each NREN focused in different areas according to their national focus.
“For NORDUnet’s, we are mostly facilitators. We try to prompt people in the NRENs, letting them know in advance that something in their area is coming up,” explains Lars Fischer.
Enhanced focus on federated access
GÉANT Association is a collaboration of the European NRENs, operating the pan-European R&E network and the European trust and identity federation. Working together in GÉANT, the European NRENs jointly develop new services and experiment with the impact of emerging technologies. As this mission is critical to the success of European research programs, the EU have for many years supported the work of GÉANT through a series of research project, financing the network 50:50 by the EC and the NRENs and funding innovation that might otherwise be hard for NRENs to do.
As the funding is in the form of a project (currently under the Horizon Europe programme) the project must apply for renewed funding every two to three years. Renewing the project in this way also gives an opportunity to revisit the focus and direction of the joint activities.
Besides smart cables and nano-second time/frequency distribution management, the comprehensive federated digital identity platform (eduGAIN) developed by the project over many years is moving into a new new phase with the new GÉANT project.. The recently launched myAccessID service is rapidly becoming the method of choice for not only single sign-on but also accessing data and other digital resources across borders and institutions, creating a single, European digital ID for research and education.
“Federated access has been a pillar of GÉANT and NREN infrastructure for several years, but the time has come to take matters to a new level. Previously, the focus was mostly on how to obtain easy web-logins. The new identity platform allows students and researchers to have a persistent digital ID and use federated access across a wide set of resources,” says Lars Fischer, noting that participation in European development of federated access is a high priority for the Nordic NRENs and for NORDUnet. “The recent adoption of myAccessID as the identity management platform for both EOSC and EuroHPC points towards the adoption of a universal digital ID platform for R&E. This evolution is a strategic priority for GÉANT and the Nordic NRENs”, concludes Lars Fischer.
The current phase of the GÉANT Project, formally titled GN5-2, began January 1, 2025, and will run for 30 months with a funding of 80 million EUR from the EU.
