Collaboration between researchers in the Asia-Pacific region and their peers across the globe has been extended by an €18 million investment in the Tein3 high speed research and education network from the European Union and its Asian partners.
The new network is set to initially link 11 countries at speeds of up to 2.5Gbps and run until 2011. It will enable increased co-operation between researchers in more than 4,000 institutions across the region, and underpin global collaboration through links to the European Geant2 network.
The European Union has announced funding of €12m, backed by an additional €6m from Asian National Research Education Networks (NRENs). Tein3 will be operated by research networking organisation Dante, which also operates Geant2. Tein3 is initially planned to link China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Australia. Plans to extend the network to further Asian countries are under consideration.
The new generation of the Tein network is a vital part of the European Union’s aim to create a global research community that bridges the digital divide and delivers tangible benefits to the wider world.
Preparations for the tendering of Tein3 have begun, with suppliers already showing a keen interest. The tender will officially start in late March 2008.
Tein3 will link to the European Geant2 network, the international research and education network. Through Geant2’s connections, researchers in the region will be able to collaborate with colleagues across other EU-funded networks in Latin America, North Africa and the Middle East, as well in the USA through the Internet2 network, thus creating a truly global research community.