AMMAN - The Arab States Research and Education Network (ASREN), a nonprofit corporation, and the Asia Pacific Advanced Network Ltd (APAN), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to identify opportunities for collaboration, sharing, and coordination for the benefit of the research and education communities within the regions.
The purpose of this MoU is to develop a framework for exploring opportunities to support the two parties’ mutual interests through, among other things, leveraging the parties’ advanced network infrastructures in support of science and education. A desirable outcome of this MoU is the development of synergies and interoperations between research and education networks in the Arab and Asian Pacific regions.
The MoU was signed by HE Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Chairman of ASREN and Dr. Dae Young KIM, Chairman of APAN. Accordingly, the two entities will actively develop opportunities to collaborate with each other, directly and with each parties’ member NRENs as appropriate, regarding some or all of the following: Collaboration on International Research and Education Network (iREN) infrastructure; Collaboration on Service Offerings; Collaboration on Human Capital Development; Coordination on planning and governance and Coordination on Communications.
The Parties will explore additional opportunities to work together as necessary. Examples may include sharing intellectual property, brokering services, and working together to attract funding.
ASREN is the legal entity, which represents the association of Arab NRENs and was established in 2011 in Germany building on the success of the e-Infrastructure projects supported by the European Commission. It has been created with the aim to implement, manage and extend sustainable pan-Arab e-Infrastructures dedicated for Research and education. The goal is to connect Arab institutions between themselves and to the globe through dedicated high-speed data-communications networks. Such networks will enable sharing and access to a variety of research services and applications in addition to utilization of highly sophisticated and technologically advanced computing resources available only at very few institutions in the world.
The vision of ASREN is to facilitate Pan-Arab collaborative research and education projects and activities through high-speed networks, and to contribute to boosting scientific research, innovation and education across the Arab world by increasing efficiency and productivity of research and education communities. The objectives of ASREN are: to build, maintain and consolidate regional e-Infrastructures dedicated to e-Science and education across the Arab countries, contribute to create and sustain National RENS and facilitate the collaboration and cooperation among researchers and academicians in the Arab region.
APAN is a non-profit consortium established in 1996 and recently incorporated in Hong Kong. Its members include many of the National Research and Education Networks (“NRENs”) across the Asia-Pacific region. APAN was established to provide a framework for the exchange of information, skills and other benefits across its members, and to collectively provide a coordinated shared peering network of international links. Its connectivity, both within the Asia-Pacific and from there to the rest of the world, underpins a rich community of research and education users, a mechanism for coordination around international standards for advanced internet-based infrastructures, and an environment for collaboration amongst its diverse base of users.
APAN is strongly focused on building infrastructure and on supporting application areas, from infrastructural layers to research areas including agriculture, biosciences, medicine, geosciences and environment, as well as education, amongst many others. It has a keen enthusiasm to establish and realize the social benefit of Internet technologies and to assist governments with informed policy formulation around and using such technologies. APAN works closely with governments, research and education communities, industry, international partnerships and particularly with like-minded agencies around the world to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.
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