The Role of National Research and
Education Networks (NRENs)
NRENs around the world, like Internet2, provide critical high-bandwidth connectivity to universities and research institutions. Internet2 partners with other NRENs to create bridges for virtual collaboration between our globally distributed communities and colleagues.
Resources
- Internet2's Special Interest Group on Emerging Research and Education Networks
- Terena Compendium (Europe)
NREN Characteristics
- Provision of connectivity to multiple universities
- May provide additional connectivity to other educational systems (K-12)
- May connect governmental research laboratories
- Organized as not-for-profit or government/ministry based
Benefits of Advanced Research and Education Networks
- The network infrastructure becomes a national asset for economic growth.
- Connectivity fuels innovation and technology transfer to both society and industry.
- Researchers can collaborate virtually with project teams.
- Scientific data-sets and instruments can be shared across institutions and physical space.
- Students and educators can interact in a global classroom.