Evaluation Committee: CESNET's research plan meets the criteria of globally comparable top-ranking research

The research plan of the CESNET association The Optical National Research Network and Its New Applications was pursued in its first year at a high professional level. This conclusion was drawn by the evaluation committee that assessed the results so far of the research plan within the regular annual evaluation procedure. The procedure took place on 27 January 2005 in Prague and was based on the annual progress report on the solution of the research plan.

According to the evaluation committee, the research plan results achieved in 2004 comply fully with the set objectives and meet the demanding criteria of globally comparable top-ranking research and development in the given area. The evaluation committee has stated that the set objectives for the year 2004 stage were fulfilled. Some of the objectives achieved in certain fields of the research plan were even beyond the planned scope, e.g. in the case of the putting into service of the academic PKI (Public Key Infrastructure).

The evaluation committee highlighted several facts:

• the existing results of the research plan are also recognised on an international scale,
• thanks to the application of the results reached in the CESNET2 network this network ranks among the most advanced world national research and education networks,
• the team of researchers consists of top specialists in the given area whose merit is evidenced by the successfully managed previous research plan on a similar topic and by their involvement in international activities.

The evaluation committee recommends continuing unconditionally the implementation of the research plan in accordance with its proposal. As regards the results, it recommends paying attention to the identification of possible patents with a primary focus on their application in the United States.

The research plan The Optical National Research Network and Its New Applications continues on from the research plan The High-Speed National Research Network and Its New Applications which the association undertook in 1999–2003 and the results of which it successfully defended early last year. Within its framework, first the TEN-155 CZ network was created and integrated into the pan-European backbone TEN-155 built within the EU project framework, and later on the CESNET2 network was created. It is an integral part of the network built upon the initiative of the EU 5th framework programme in the GÉANT project. In accordance with the world trends, the researchers focused on the solution of the issues of optical networks, implementation of IPv6, computational and access grids, multimedia services and the issue of End-to-End Performance and they have achieved internationally recognised results. The new research plan, which will be pursued up to the year 2010, should follow up on the results achieved. It relies on the participation of the CESNET association in major international projects. Emphasis has been put on its engagement in the pan-European project GN2, which follows up on the GÉANT project within the EU 6th framework programme.

The CESNET association was established by colleges and universities and the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. At present it is financed from the funds of the Government's Council for Science and Research and of its members. The association builds and develops the national optical gigabit network CESNET2 designed for science, research, development and education and conducts research and development in the field of information and communications technologies. Thanks to its research activities and the results achieved, the CESNET association is the representative of the Czech Republic in the European project GN2 and in other international projects. At present, among other projects, it is working together with Canada, the Netherlands and the US on the building of the global lambda network GLIF (Global Lambda Integrated Facility), the Czech part of which is called CzechLight.