CESNET organizing e-IRG Workshop on current issues of large research e-infrastructures in the EU

Prague, 8 December 2022. On Monday, 12 December and Tuesday, 13 December, an e-IRG Workshop will take place in Prague, focusing on large research e-infrastructures. Participants can look forward to a number of lectures by leading experts, who will be available for debate on hot industry topics.

The e-IRG (e-Infrastructure Reflection Group) is a strategic international body striving to facilitate integration of European research e-infrastructures and related services in EU member states. Two workshops are convened annually under the auspices of the respective EU Presidency. CESNET took over the organizing under the Czech Presidency.

The key topic will be the impact of the energy crisis on functioning of research e-infrastructures in the EU. “These advanced e-infrastructures are not only important for supporting science and research, but are of great importance for development of all society and education. Growing costs of operation caused by expensive energies are endangering their full functioning. In particular, smaller computing and data centres at universities, research institutes and libraries may face a critical situation, because their budgets will not suffice for the increase. We want to send a message to European governments that the situation needs solving,” says Jan Gruntorád, emeritus director of the CESNET Association, and the chief Czech organizer of the meeting.

The event will involve more than 120 delegates from over 30 countries. Approximately 60 participants will arrive in Prague, the rest will connect remotely by means of a video conference. On behalf of the host country, the workshop will be kicked off by Radka Wildová, Deputy Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, and Jan Gruntorád for CESNET.

The opening section of the workshop will deal with coordination and cooperation among European e-infrastructures. The discussion should result in the presentation of a draft e-IRG 2022 White Paper.
The next section will focus on data infrastructures and data repositories, which are indispensable components of scientific research infrastructures based on the principles of open science. The European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) will bring connection of and open access to European scientific data, thus facilitating scientists’ and researchers’ work.

The final section is dedicated to interaction among data, publications and identifiers. Research data management strives for more efficient procedures in data handling, collection, registration, utilization and accessibility to users in science and research in accordance with FAIR ethical principles.

On Wednesday, 14 December, the workshop will be followed by a meeting of e-IRG national delegates.

The CESNET Association was founded by various Czech universities and the Czech Academy of Sciences in 1996. Its objective is the operation and development of ICT services that comprise the national e-infrastructure for research, development and education e-INFRA CZ. Integral components of its activities include research and development in information and communications technology. CESNET is an active partner in numerous international research infrastructures, such as the Pan-European GÉANT research, development, and education network, the European Grid Infrastructure EGI.eu and the European infrastructure for open science EOSC. For more details, visit www.cesnet.cz and www.e-infra.cz.