ASREN Shareholders Meeting

Amman, Jordan26 July 2011

Yousef Torman,Executive Director, JUNet

National Efforts (Jordan)

• The Jordanian National Broadband Network NBN is a national program to use dark fiber to connect around 3200 schools, 10 Universities and around 110 Public Access Sites

• The Jordanian Universities Network (JUNet) is the official NREN of Jordan, currently connecting 11 University sites via optical fiber, with 1Gbps each

• 18 Community Colleges are also using this network at lower speeds using the operators circuits

• 14 Private Universities and 6 research institutes are planned to be connected to JUNet this year

• JUNet is the Jordanian partner for EUMEDCONNECT and EUMEDGRID and other regional cooperation projects

• JUNet is working on promoting the use of technology for research and collaborative research.

National Efforts (Arab Countries)

More More to to

ComeCome....

Country NREN

Jordan JUNet

Morocco MARWAN

Tunisia KCC

Egypt EUN

Sudan SUIN

Saudi Arabia KASCT & KAUST

Palestine PADI 2

Syria HIAST, SHREN

Somalia SomaliREN

UAE ANKABUT

Qatar Qatar Foundation

Oman The Research Council – OMREN

NRENs around the worldAfrica

D.R. Congo (Eb@le)KENET (Kenya)

MAREN (Malawi)MoRENet (Mozambique)

RwEdNet (Rwanda)South Africa (TENET)

SUIN (Sudan)RENU (Uganda)

ZAMREN (Zambia)East Asia & Pacific

Asia (APAN)South&East Asia (TEIN2)Australia (AARNET)China (CERNET,CSTNET,NSFCNET)Fiji (USP-SUVA)Hong Kong (HARNET)Indonesia (ITB)Japan (SINET, WIDE, JGN2)Korea (KOREN, KREONET2)Malaysia (MYREN)New Zealand (KAREN)Philippines (PREGINET)Singapore (SingAREN)Taiwan (TANet2, ASNet)Thailand (UNINET, ThaiSARN)Vietnam (VINAREN)

Europe & Central Asia

Europe (GEANT2)Armenia (ARENA)Austria (ACOnet)Belgium (BELNET)Croatia (CARNet)Czech Rep. (CESNET)Cyprus (CYNET)Denmark (Forskningsnettet)Estonia (EENet)Finland (Funet)France (Renater)Georgia (GRENA)Germany (G-WIN)Greece (GRNET)Hungary (HUNGARNET)Iceland (RHnet)Ireland (HEAnet)Italy (GARR)Kazakhstan (KAZRENA)Latvia (LATNET)Lithuania (LITNET)Luxembourg (RESTENA)Malta (Univ. Malta)Netherlands (SURFnet) Norway (UNINETT)

Poland (PIONIER)Portugal (RCTS2)Romania (RoEduNet)Russia (RBnet, RUNNET)Slovakia (SANET)Slovenia (ARNES)Spain (RedIRIS)Sweden (SUNET)Switzerland (SWITCH)United Kingdom

( JANET)Tajikistan (TARENA)Turkey (ULAKBIM)Uzbekistan (UZSCI)

AmericasLatin America (redCLARA)Argentina (RETINA)Bolivia (ADSIB)Brazil (RNP2/ANSP)Canada (CA*net)Chile (REUNA)Colombia (RENATA)Costa Rica (CR2Net)Ecuador (CEDIA)El Salvador (RAICES)Guatemala (RAGIE)Honduras (UNITEC)Mexico (Red-CUDI)Nicaragua (RENIA)Panama (RedCyT)Paraguay (ARANDU)Peru (RAAP)Uruguay (RAU2)Venezuela (REACCIUN2)

Mid-East & N.AfricaAlgeria (ARN)Egypt (EUN/ENSTINET)Jordan (JUNET)Lebanon (NCSR)Morocco (MARWAN)Palestinian Terr. (PadI2)Qatar (Qatar FN)Syria (HIAST)Tunisia (MRST)U.A.E. (ANKABUT)

South Asia

India (ERNET)Nepal (NREN)Pakistan (PERN)Sri Lanka (LEARN)

The only regional network in the Arab Mediterranean Countries

A Euro-Med success story

Connects ~2m users at ~700 institutions among each other and with their peers in Europe and beyond

Directly connecting Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine, Syria and Tunisia

Linking Mediterranean and European partners via GÉANT

Jointly funded by the EC and the MED partners to reduce the digital divide

EUMEDConnect2

EUMEDConnect3 Will be further (Partially)

funded by the EC for additional 3 years

Exchange Programme to advance e-Infrastructure Know-How

Coordination and Harmonization of Advanced

e-INfrastructures

Linking Scientific Computing in Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean

The EUMEDGRID Support Project

Regional Efforts, historical background

• PAN Arab Network, 2005 – Initiated by MoICT of Jordan to study the feasibility of using the

power distribution grid network to build a PAN Arab network. The study was sent to the League of Arab States…..

• Rome Declaration 2006– The Arab MED NREN managers signed a declaration in Rome to

work on establishing a consortium to take the responsibility of creating an Arab Med Network…

• NAP, the Network Access Points 2007– A business initiative to build Internet exchange points for the Arab

region….

• CAMREN 200?– Was proposed as an action for the Rome Declaration….

Major Obstacles and Concerns…

• Financial support• Technical Support• Political Support• Applications, Services, Contents …• Promotion• Bureaucracy • Monopoly, Regulations…• NRENs involvement• Time…

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Arab States Research and Education Network (ASREN)

ASREN is the association of the Arab region NRENs and strategic partners .

Promoting world-class Pan-Arab e-Infrastructures and E-services for the Research and Education communities to

boost Scientific Research and regional Cooperation

“The ASREN initiative will connect our researchers and scholars allowing them to share knowledge and to collaborate. It is a unifying network for the Arab region, and I commend it.”

H.E. Amro Moussa

Secretary General of the Arab League

“Investing in e-Infrastructures will advance

inter-Arab research and education and

promote cooperation with Europe and the World”

H.E. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Chair of UN

Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID)

ASREN: Vision and Mission

• Vision Statement: Pan-Arab collaborative research and education projects and activities, contribute to boost the scientific research, innovation and education levels in the Arab countries by uplifting efficiency and productivity of research and education communities. 

• Mission statement: To implement, manage and extend sustainable Pan-Arab e-Infrastructures dedicated for the Research and Education communities and to boost scientific research and cooperation in member countries through the provision of world-class e-Infrastructures and E-services.

ObjectivesRegional network that Interconnects the NRENs of the Arab Countries Harmonization of policies and standardsAdvocating at the regional level amongst decision makers and stakeholders

Knowledge resources, exchangesArabic contentsUsage of e-Infrastructures and servicesRegional partnerships joint research

Supporting NRENs to implementing technological solutionsExchange of expertise and best practices

ASREN Functions

Core FunctionsCore Functions

One Year of History )2010(

– Proposed in Cairo, January 2010, by JUNet and TAG during the EUMEDCONNECT2/EUMEDGRID Support Meetings.

– Announced in Brussels by H.E. Talal Abu Ghazaleh, March 2010 During the 3rd EUMEDEVENT.

– Planning meetings were conducted during the EUMEDCONNECT2/EUMEDGRID Support meetings in Algeria )July 2010( and Rome )November 2010(

– Launched in the League of Arab States in Cairo under the Patronage of HE Amre Moussa, December 2010. and Chaired by HE Talal Abu Ghazaleh

ASREN Launch Meeting Achievements

• ASREN was launched under the patronage of HE Amre Moussa who also accepted to be Honorary Chair.

• The event was attended by high-level participants from the European Commission )EC(, Turkey, Italy, UK, USA, France, and representatives from most of the Arab countries including the Gulf.

• Many Arab countries and organizations signed statements of support to ASREN with intention to support its’ development.

• Positive signs were perceived about the financing of EUMEDCONNECT3.

• High-level participation from the private sector was also an excellent sign indicating that there will be good opportunities for partnership with the private sector and researchers.

A statement of support to ASREN signed by:

1. HE Senator Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, TAG-Org, Jordan

2. HE Prof. Mubarak M. A. Magzoub, Federation of Arab Scientific Research Council (FARSC), Sudan

3. HH Taimur A. Al Said, The Research Council (TRC), Oman

4. HE Ersat Hurmuzlu, Senior Advisor to the President of Turkey, Turkey

5. HE Prof. Saleh Hashem, Association of Arab Universities (AUA), Jordan

6. Prof. Ali Zaidan Abu Zuhri, Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Palestine

7. Badr Hubais, Khalifa University, Emirate Advanced Network for Research & Education, ANKABUT, UAE

8. Prof. Ashraf Hussein, Supreme Council of Universities, Egypt

9. Dr. Iman Abdelrahman, Sudanese Universities Information Network, SUIN, Sudan

10. Dr. Abdullah Al-Subyani, Arabian Knowledge Economy Association, KSA

11. Redouane Merrouch, Moroccan Academic and Research Wide Area Network (MARWAN), Morocco

12. Yousef Torman, Jordanian Universities Network, JUNet, Jordan

13. Dr. Sherif Gad, Arab Federation for Quality, Jordan

14. Prof. Enzo Valante, Consortium GARR, Italy

15. Prof. Bahlul Eliagoubi, National Authority for Scientific Research, Libya

16. Ben Fatma Mohamed, Expert International Education, Tunis

17. Dr. Faeqa Saeed Al Saleh, League of Arab States, Egypt

18. Dr. Khadija Ghariani, Arab ICT Organization, (AICTO), Tunisia

19. Nada Kadhim, National Research Fund (NRF), UAE

ASREN is now an official legal entity

ASREN now is officially registered in Dusseldorf, Germany as non-profit company with 3 Shareholders:

Jordanian Universities Network, JUNetMoroccan Research and Education Network, MARWAN Abu-Ghazaleh & Co. Consulting GmbH

HE Amre Moussa, Secretary General of the League of Arab States was elected as Honorary Chairman

HE Talal abu Ghazaleh was elected as ASREN Chairman

Major Achievements since ASREN Launch

• ASREN and DANTE are going to be the partners with the EC for implementing the EUMEDCONNECT3 Project.

• ASREN is now a partner with the CHAIN Project to work on Coordinating and Harmonizing the Advanced eInfrastructuers in the Arab World

• ASREN started the process to help Lebanon in establishing NREN

• Publications were also produced and published

• Website www.ASRENOrg.net was published

• Business plan developed, details to be presented by Dr. Salem

Major ASREN activities

Active Participation in the following activities:

• CHAIN/ EUMEDGrid Support meeting in Italy, 17– 20 May 2011

• AfREN/ AfNIC/ AfNOG meetings in Tanzania, 5 – 10 June 2011

• EUMEDGrid support workshop “Grids and Modeling: Application” , Lebanon 28-29 June 2011

• Sharing Knowledge Foundation “Sharing Knowledge Across the Mediterranean )6( in Malta, 5-8 May 2011.

• TERENA Networking Conference TNC2011, Czech Republic, 16-19 May 2011

• UAE Visit 16-17 March 2011 and meeting with Abu Dhabi Research & ICT Fund

• Participating in the Spring Internet2 SIG Meeting 18-20 April 2011, Washington DC )Video Conference(

• ASREN meeting with EUN in Egypt on the 6th of July 2011

ASREN first Annual Meeting

1st International Platform on Integrating Arab e-infrastructure

in a Global Environment

e-AGE 2011

Together We Shape the Future of Research and Education Networks Amman, Jordan, 12-14 December, 2011

• This event will be held in conjunction with– ASREN 1st Annual Meeting

– The 4th EU-MED-Event

– Internet2 Middle East SIG Meeting

• Details are available at the event website http://www.asrenorg.net/index.php/events/asren-first-annual-conference

ASREN Honorary Chairman

• As a Secretary General of the League of the arab States and for his support of ASREN, HE Amre Moussa was Elected as Honorary Chairman of ASREN.

Suggestion:

• To invite His Excellency Dr. Nabil Al Arabi, the new Secretary General of the League of Arab States to be the new Honorary Chairman of ASREN

ACTION?

ASREN Special Membership

• Because of the technical, financial and political support provided by DANTE )Delivering Advanced Network Technology to Europe( through the EUMEDCONNECT 1,2 and 3 Projects

Suggestion:

• To Grant DANTE a Special Board Membership )advisor(

ACTION?

ASREN Technical Advisory Committee

• During the Launch Meeting in Cairo, an Interim committee was formed as:1. Arab Information and Communication Technology Organization

)Chair(

2. Egypt University Network )Coordinator(

3. League of Arab States

4. NRENs

5. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization

6. DANTE

7. Invited – Turkish ULAKBIM

ACTION?

ASREN Science & Research Advisory Committee

• During the Launch Meeting in Cairo, an Interim committee was formed as:1. Arab League for Science, Education, and Culture Organization

)Chair(

2. Federation of the Arab scientific research councils )Coordinator(

3. League of Arab States

4. Association of Arab Universities

5. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization

6. Invited – The Turkish TUBITAK

ACTION?