CESNET's Research Plan: New Communication Options and Greater Convenience for CESNET2 Users

The results achieved in solving CESNET's research plan for the Optical National Research Network and its New Applications are transferred to practice in particular by their implementation within CESNET2, which improves the network's parameters and brings its users new communication options and greater convenience. Some results of programmable hardware development have been turned successfully into commercial solutions. This is the conclusion of the Review Board, which has evaluated the research plan implementation results for the past calendar year under the ongoing review procedure required by the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports as the institutional support provider. The review procedure, which took place on February 6, 2008, dealt with the interim Annual Report on Research Plan Implementation (refer to http://www.cesnet.cz/doc/2007/zprava/, in Czech). The research plan was initiated in 2004 and is to be completed in 2010.

The Review Board, consisting of the foremost independent experts in information and communication technologies, concluded that, during the period under review, the research plan was implemented at a high expert level, in particular for the following reasons:

• The quality of the CESNET2 national network is excellent, with many concepts implemented in its environment being adopted by the international community as well.

• Many other infrastructures built and supported, in particular those with computing, storage and collaboration functions, are of superior quality, worldwide unique or highly competitive.

• The research and development results have demonstrably been adopted by the international community.

• The research team is involved in relevant international projects pertaining to the area of research, primarily in the GN2 and the EGEE II projects. CESNET's Director, Jan Gruntorád, and Grid Research Specialist, Assist. Prof. Ludìk Matyska, are members of the steering committees for these two projects.

• The research team is invited to get involved in preparing new international projects or initiate new projects itself.

• Three research team members have been awarded by the Czech Minister of Education, Youth and Sports for their research achievements in developing the CzechLight Amplifier modular optical amplifiers.

According to the Review Board, a high expert level was maintained in 2007 when solving specific tasks under the research plan. In the upcoming phases, the Review Board recommends that the results of particular research activities continue to be transferred to practice and that such results be protected by means of utility designs or patents.

The Optical National Research Network and its New Applications research plan follows up the research plan for the High-Speed National Research Network and its New Applications, which the association worked from 1999–2003, and the outcomes of which were successfully defended in early 2004. The present research plan builds upon the results of the prior project. The research plan objective is to develop and gradually transform CESNET2 into an integrated information and communication environment. The research activities deal with optical and IP networks, computing and access grids, multimedia services, mobility or end-to-end performance issues. The research plan foresees that CESNET will participate in major international projects. Emphasis is placed on its involvement in GN2, a project aiming to establish Europe's top-performance infrastructure, which follows up on the GÉANT project within EU's 6th Framework Programme.

The CESNET association was established by universities and the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. Currently, it is financed mainly from the resources of the Research and Development Council and from its members' funds. The association is involved in the research and development of information and communication technologies and builds and develops the CESNET2 national gigabit optical network intended for research and education. Due to its research activities and results achieved, CESNET represents the Czech Republic in the project of building the GÉANT2 pan-European network and in other international projects.