The initiative is co-ordinated by the Greek Research & Technology Network and the project consortium consists of representatives from National Grid Initiatives of Bulgaria (CLPP-BAS), Romania (ICI), Turkey (TUBITAK-ULAKBIM), Hungary (MTA-SZTAKI), Albania (Academy of Sciences - INIMA), Bosnia-Herzegovina (BIHARNET), F.Y.R. of Macedonia (UKIM), Serbia-Montenegro (UOB), Croatia (RBI), as well as the European Centre of Nuclear Physics (CERN) in an advisory role. In order to ensure the necessary critical mass, eighteen regional Research and Academic institutions have been selected to participate in the project as third-parties to the consortium partners, and the entire project is further strengthened through the collaboration, as drafted out in a memorandum of understanding, with the major Pan-European FP6 project EGEE (Enabling Grids for E-science in Europe).

The SEE-Grid proposal was submitted as a Specific Support Action to the second call of Research Infrastructures of the EC 6th Framework Programme and ranked second among all proposals in the evaluation round. Its successful implementation will immediately enable regional researchers to run applications where high computing power and/or data storage capacity is required (e.g. seismology, high energy physics, bio-medical and other applications), and in the longer term will help create and maintain a human network in the field of Grid technologies, e-Science and e-Infrastructures.

Research & Education Networking and Grid initiatives in South East Europe, SEEREN & SEE-GRID, play an important role in an area where regional unrest was hindering co-operation and economic growth till recently. The continuing expansion of the SEEREN network operation, as demonstrated recently by the establishing of the Sarajevo–Belgrade communications link, as well as the commencement of new efforts in promising science and technology areas like SEE-GRID, are key examples of the sustained efforts for easing the digital divide between the region and the rest of the continent, thus paving the way for future enlargement steps of the European Union and contributing to the overall stability and peace in South-East Europe.

More information on SEE-GRID is available at http://www.see-grid.org.