SEE-GRID-SCI started on May 1st and the kick-off meeting took place on the May 21-22, 2008 in Athens, Greece. The project aims to enlarge the existing SEE-GRID Infrastructure and to promote the wide use of SEE-GRID applications by new user groups, with strategic emphasis in the fields of seismology, meteorology and environmental protection.

SEE-GRID-SCI builds on the achievements of its predecessor SEE-GRID-2 project through which the regional eInfrastructure was expanded, and new applications were developed. The kick-off meeting of SEE-GRID-SCI followed the successful two-day final review meeting of SEE-GRID-2 that was held in Athens.

SEE-GRID-SCI will stimulate the use of the e-Infrastructure, fostering collaboration and providing advanced capabilities to more researchers. The initiative aims to have a catalytic and structuring effect on target user communities that currently do not directly benefit from the available infrastructure. Moreover, SEE-GRID-SCI will support the National Grid Initiatives (NGIs) in the region, allowing them to join the new era of longer-term sustainable Grid Infrastructure in Europe.

The initiative is coordinated by the Greek Research & Technology Network (GRNET) and the project consortium consists of representatives from Albania (Polytechnic University of Tirana), Armenia (IIAP-NAS-RA), Bosnia-Herzegovina (University of Banja Luka), Bulgaria (IPP-BAS), Croatia (RBI), F.Y.R. of Macedonia (UKIM), Georgia (GRENA), Hungary (MTA-SZTAKI), Moldova (RENAM), Montenegro (University of Montenegro), Romania (ICI), Serbia (University of Belgrade), Turkey (TUBITAK), as well as the European Centre of Nuclear Physics (CERN) in an advisory role. In order to ensure the necessary critical mass, thirty 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 with the major Pan-European FP7 project EGEE III and other Grid projects. SEE-GRID-SCI is co-funded by the European Commission under the 7th Framework-Programme.

Contact:
Ognjen Prnjat , oprnjat@grnet.gr, +30 210 7474283