The European Grid Initiative (EGI) is envisaged as a key element in the creation of the European Research Area and the EGI Design Study, supported by the EU’s 7th Framework Programme, has just been launched to design a sustainable pan European grid infrastructure. The project will run from September 2007 to December 2009, after receiving a formal approval from the European Commission.
The EGI’s objectives
Ensure the long-term sustainability of the European e-infrastructure
Coordinate the integration and interaction between national grid infrastructures
Operate the European level of the production grid infrastructure for a wide range of scientific disciplines to link national grid infrastructures
Provide global services and support that complement and/or coordinate national services (Authentication, VO-support, security, etc)
Coordinate middleware development and standardisation to enhance the infrastructure
Advise national and European funding agencies in establishing their programmes for future software developments based on agreed user needs and development standards
Integrate, test, validate and package software from leading grid middleware development projects and make it widely available
Provide documentation and training material for the middleware and operations.
Link the European infrastructure with similar infrastructures elsewhere
Promote grid interface standards based on practical experience gained from grid operations and middleware integration activities, in consultation with relevant standards organisations
Grid computing makes access to widely distributed computing resources as easy as accessing a user’s own desktop, providing networking, computing and data resources regardless of geographical location. This high level of communication and access to information is improving the efficiency of scientific and industrial research as well as the provision of online services such as digital libraries.
Such a high-quality research network is an essential part of the technological infrastructure for the European Research Area, and it is now seen as urgent to ensure that reliable and adaptive grid infrastructures are continuously maintained, independent of project funding cycles.
Europe has invested heavily in e-science programmes over the past years both at the national and the European levels, and grid technology is recognised as a fundamental component for e-infrastructures.
Many countries have launched, or are in the process of launching national grid initiatives, providing a single point of contact and reducing the management and organisational overhead of international cooperation.
These national bodies need to be complemented by a second structure, the future EGI organisation, to coordinate on a European scale, including operations management, policy, standards and middleware testing.
Centralisation of these services will help to bind the different European grids into a seamless whole. EGI will collaborate closely with industry as technology and service providers, as well as grid users, to promote the rapid and successful uptake of grid technology by European industry. The EGI Design Study will work out the various issues, and propose solutions to address all these points and achieve a realistic design of the EGI that will satisfy the following vision.
Receive our Policy Bulletin each Tuesday & Thursday and news about bridging Europe’s east-west innovation gap twice a month in The Widening. 
