Special Interest Group (SIG) on Emerging National Research and Education Networks

Our mission: to bring together the international community to address advancing the state of high-performance networking for research and education in underserved places around the world.

This Internet2 SIG provides a forum for:

• Sharing information about current initiatives and facilities/data/researchers that need to be reached
• Sharing challenges, opportunities and successes among both emerging and established NRENs
• Discussing possible roles for the Internet2 community

Participants are encouraged to share challenges, ideas, opportunities and successful case studies based on their own experiences on the NREN SIG collaboration site.

SIG Chair: Dale Smith, University of Oregon
Internet2 Staff facilitator: Heather Boyles, Internet2
Internet2 Staff support: Jocelyn Gerich, Internet2

Regional Interest Groups

The SIG has spun off a small number of regional interest groups which have formed where a group of individuals are interested in pursuing information about an opportunities with specific regions. Typically, these groups get together on occasional phone conferences to exchange information and catch up on current happenings in the region. Currently, there are three active regional interest groups as well as significant interest in 3 other regions.

• Caribbean Interest Group: Lead by Heidi Alvarez, Florida International University
• South Asia Interest Group: Lead by Jim Williams, Indiana University
• Middle East Interest Group: Lead by Johnathon Chapman, Georgetown University - Qatar
• Central Asia
• Pacific Islands
• Sub-Saharan Africa

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Events and Activities

Workshops:

In the past, the SIG has sponsored a number of workshops focused on emerging NRENs, particularly in SubSaharan Africa and South Asia.

• Planning Meeting: Enhancing Research and Education Connectivity to and within South Asia; Arlington, VA, 26 April, 2007
• Planning Meeting: Healthcare and Medical Research Collaborations between the US and South Asia; Arlington, VA, 25 April, 2007
• Progress and Challenges in Building National Research and Education Networks in Africa: A View from the Field; Philadelphia, PA, 18 September 2005
• Enhancing Research and Education Networks within and to Africa; Arlington, VA, 5 May 2005

Events:

• Fall 2008 Member Meeting
  • SIG Meeting Agenda
• Spring 2008 Member Meeting
  • SIG Meeting Agenda
• Fall 2007 Member Meeting
  • SIG Meeting Agenda
• 25 April 2007 SIG Meeting
• Reports and Archives from past events
• Megaconference Jr
  

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Resources

• The Role of National Research and Education Networks (NRENs)
• Global Development Learning Network (GDLN)
• TERENA Compendium
• APAN Compendium
  

Opportunities

• Seeking U.S-African Collaborations and Projects that Would Benefit from Expanded Bandwidth to Africa

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SIG Mailing Lists

• the main Emerging NREN SIG email list. Click here to subscribe.
• the Africa Interest Mailing Group. Click here to subscribe.
• the Caribbean Interest Mailing Group. Click here to subscribe.
• the Central Asia Interest Mailing Group. Click here to subscribe.
• the Middle East Interest Mailing Group. Click here to subscribe.
• the South Asia Interest Mailing Group. Click here to subscribe.