Quantum moves forward

Cambridge, 01 July 98 the QUANTUM network, the successor of the TEN-34 network will use ATM as a bandwidth management tool to optimise the use of the circuits. The individual national research networks will have the choice between ATM or IP access to the network.The QUANTUM network will receive co-funding from the EC ESPRIT and Telematics for Applications programmes. The QUANTUM Policy Committee has also mandated DANTE to negotiate detailed arrangements with the EC ACTS programme for the support of ACTS projects as well as with the Commission in general to prepare the final EC contract for QUANTUM.

This was revealed in the magazine the works of Dante. Towards the end of 1997, the Israeli government signed a scientific cooperation agreement with the EC. One of the consequences is that Israeli organisations now qualify to participate in Fourth Framework projects and can receive funding support in the same way as EU organisations. A more specific consequence is that Israel, via its national network organisation MACHBA/ILAN, expressed a strong wish to join the TEN-34 and QUANTUM projects.

A parallel set of discussions has been proceeding for several months in the context of the EC's MEDA Programme which provides for promotion and support of Internet technology and applications in the Mediterranean region.

These two strands have now been brought together with the preparation and submission to the EC Telematics Programme for a new Q-MED project. Q-MED will be a complementary project to QUANTUM and will provide for the connection of MACHBA/ILAN to the TEN-34 successor. DANTE will act as the Coordinating Partner in this complementary project; other partners in addition to MACHBA/ILAN and the University of Cyprus/CYNET are GSRT (Greece), INFN/GARR (Italy) and NTUA (Greece).

The Q-MED proposal is currently being evaluated by the EC. For more information, check in at: www.dante.net/pubs/works/27.htm

Ad Emmen