Shared Testbed to Strengthen Internet Research at Universities

Press Release
22th of November, 2011

CSC - IT Center for Science Ltd, Tampere University of Technology (TUT), Aalto University, and Tampere Region Exchange (TREX) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Internet Testbed Finland, a service that will enable more efficient Internet research collaboration and shared use of Internet networks and services.

To ensure continuity of the Internet testbed services created in the Future Internet research programme of TIVIT Oy, the most active members of its testbed working group have founded a consortium called Internet Testbed Finland. The consortium will integrate its research network services under a common operating model to increase efficiency in the provision, use, maintenance, and marketing of services for different research collaboration partners.

Internet Testbed Finland is an open consortium, in which organizations can join and offer their research network services. Hence, in addition to universities and higher education institutions, also enterprises can become members. Openness should improve and boost cooperation between companies and institutions of research and education, and help to provide the collaborating businesses with research network services that are currently unavailable from commercial operators.

Internet Testbed Finland provides the platform and ready-for-use cooperation models that facilitate building new research environments and services. The concept covers the layers and services needed for Internet research, ranging from optical fibers to integrated services, as well as technologies, practices, and agreements concerning user identification.

The research networks and the services involved in the testbed activities can be flexibly connected across organizational boundaries. The cooperation makes research more efficient, since researchers do not need to build new test environments of their own but instead, they can utilize the existing testbed platform and its services. The consortium will strengthen Internet-based research programmes, because instead of having to develop new testbeds, it is possible to use a sustainable, shared, and inter-operable testbed that allows flexible extension depending on research needs. Similarly, participants can freely integrate services that have been developed by other service providers.

The consortium members can benefit from the network services provided by their collaboration partners in their own research activities. Internet Testbed Finland will reduce the need for overlapping infrastructure and act as a collaboration forum for further development of test network activities, while also improving possibilities for national and international research collaboration.

For More Information:

Aleksi Suhonen, TREX Tampere Region Exchange Oy, +358 45 670 2048, info-2011(at) trex.fi

Harri Kuusisto, CSC - IT Center for Science Ltd +358 50 3819 800, harri.kuusisto(at) csc.fi

Jarmo Harju, Tampere University of Technology +358 40 8433 192, jarmo.harju(at) tut.fi

Markus Peuhkuri, Aalto University +358-505112675, Markus.Peuhkuri(at) aalto.fi

TREX Tampere Region Exchange Oy

The Tampere Region Exchange (TREX) is a next generation Internet exchange point. In addition to enabling traffic exchange between Internet operators and other network players, TREX focuses on improving exchange point services, and on being a research and development platform for future communications technology. TREX is part of the Finnish Internet infrastructure.

Aalto University

Aalto University, Finland is a new multidisciplinary science and art community in the fields of science, economics, and art and design. The new University is founded on Finnish strengths, and its goal is to develop as a unique entity to become one of the world's top universities. Aalto University's cornerstones are its strengths in education and research. At the new University, there are 20,000 basic degree and graduate students as well as a staff of 4,500 of which 340 are professors.

Tampere University of Technology

Tampere University of Technology (TUT) educates Masters of Science in Technology and Architecture and Doctors of Technology and Philosophy whose diverse expertise is sought in working life. Almost all MSc graduates are employed at the time of graduation. There are 10,400 students at TUT, 8,800 of whom are taking an undergraduate degree and 1,600 a postgraduate degree. More than 2,000 people work at the University. Over 80 percent are employed in teaching or research tasks or tasks assisting teaching or research. Further information: www.tut.fi

CSC - IT Center for Science Ltd.

CSC - IT Center for Science Ltd. is a non-profit limited company administered by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture. Having core competences in modeling, computing and information services, CSC provides versatile IT services, support and resources for academia, research institutes, and companies. CSC provides Finland's widest selection of scientific software and databases and Finland's most powerful supercomputers that researchers can use via the Funet network.