GÉANT2 establishes research network link to the Ukraine with URAN connection: DANTE, an international research and education network provider working alongside the National Research and Education Networks (NRENs), has announced the launch of a high-speed connection link between the Ukrainian NREN, URAN and the high bandwidth, pan-European research network, GÉANT2. The new link is a further step towards supporting a truly global research community with the integration of the Ukrainian NREN into Europe’s most advanced research network. The 100 Mbps connection procured by URAN will terminate in Warsaw, where it is being carried on PSNC, the Polish NREN, following an exclusive agreement with the Ukrainian NREN, URAN. A high speed dark fibre route will be provided by PSNC between the cities of Warsaw and Poznan in Poland, allowing a dedicated connection to the GÉANT2 router in Poznan to be accessed by URAN in Kiev. The new link will provide a big improvement in available bandwidth enabling a new quality of collaboration between Ukrainian and associated European academia. The link will provide access to scientific and information resources such as electronic libraries, databases, search engines and supercomputing resources to facilitate joint research activities in areas such as climate change, life sciences, elementary particle physics, grid computing, radio astronomy and sustainable development. URAN connects about 500,000 users from approximately 100 universities and scientific research institutes in 18 regions of Ukraine. The link to GÉANT2 is part of an incentive by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine called ‘Information and Communication Technologies in Education and Science’ for the development of scientific telecommunications networks. "Scientists, academics and students rely on advanced infrastructures such as Europe's GÉANT2 network to pool resources and to work together effectively, no matter where they are based," said Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for Information Society and Media. "Bringing together the best minds from all over Europe is not only beneficial for science, but beneficial for all citizens of a world that today, depends increasingly on technology, innovation and collaborative research." Yuriy Yakimenko, Head of URAN Association Board, commented: “Ukraine’s research community is evolving steadily and the need for collaboration with international colleagues is becoming increasingly urgent. Through this agreement with PSNC and GÉANT2, Ukrainian researchers are now able to send and receive information at great speed. This is a positive move for our country’s participation in international scientific progress and will encourage students and scientists to remain in Ukrainian academia.” “This new affiliation with URAN is a milestone for the GÉANT2 network as it moves us further towards achieving our aim of creating a global network for the science and research community,” said Klaus Ullmann, Chairman of the GÉANT2 project. “The link to Ukraine will provide exciting opportunities for research links and collaboration with Eastern Europe and is an important development to the extensive reach of the pan-European GÉANT2 network.”