JISC

May 2000

            Summary

1. This circular invites expressions of interest from JANET connected organisations to collaborate with US academic/research organisations, e.g. those connected to vBNS and/or Abilene etc., on next generation Internet technologies and applications development projects.

2. The deadline for submitting expressions of interest is 12:00 noon on Friday 9th June 2000.

   Background

3. In 1999 the JISC and UKERNA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UCAID (Universities Consortium for Advanced Internet Development), the organisation that manages the Internet2 project in the US.
4. The principle behind the MoU is to allow joint collaboration between the JANET and Internet2 communities on the development of next generation Internet technologies and applications.

5. As of 10th January 2000, direct network connectivity between JANET and the Internet2 project’s Abilene network has been established. This connectivity will enable practical collaboration to take place between JANET and Internet2.

   Introduction

6. The aim is to establish a culture of collaboration between UK organisations and Internet2 on the development of next generation Internet technologies and applications, giving strength to the programme of work being carried out by the JISC and UKERNA. In order to foster this collaboration between JANET and Internet2 the JISC has allocated funding of £600K.
7. To oversee this collaboration between JANET and Internet2 a steering group has been formed, whose membership includes representatives from UK HEI's, UK Research Councils, JISC and UKERNA. It will be reporting to the JISC Committee for Networking (JCN) and the JISC Committee for Authentication and Security (JCAS). This steering group will also be informing the SuperJANET 4 development strategy.

8. The first job of the steering group is to initiate a collaborative programme and issue this ‘Call for Expressions of Interest’. This will be followed by a selection process from which projects with good potential will be asked to submit more detailed proposals.

   Areas for Collaboration

9. Some areas for collaboration on next generation Internet technologies have been identified, Expressions of Interest may focus on (but are not restricted to) the areas listed below:

   • Involvement in specific Internet2 initiatives e.g. Middleware, Distributed Storage Infrastructure, Digital Video Initiative;
   • Tracking the "early adopters" programme run by Internet2 in the US in areas such as middleware LDAP authentication implementations, use of streaming video and the GRID;
   • Involvement in the general applications programme of Internet2;
   • Technology aspects (IPv6, multicast, QoS etc.);
   • Specific collaborations with organisations connected to Internet2 (two projects currently in progress are involvement in Super Computing '99 and remote control of experiments by UK particle physicists of an experiment at SLAC – these are two such examples of work researching into the concept of GRID).

10. The deliverables of the approved projects will assist the steering group in determining the networking needs of the higher and further education community, which they will feed into the requirements of SuperJANET4.

    Funding

11. A budget of £600K for a period of 12 months has been allocated for this initiative by the JISC and it is envisaged that 4 or 5 major projects will be funded from this budget, as well as improvements on network connectivity, where necessary. Several small awards may also be provided to UK organizations wanting to participate in ongoing Internet2 activities.

    What to do next…

12. Expressions of Interest are sought for collaborative projects between JANET and Internet2 organisations and may be received from, for example:

    • Those currently involved in a project which would benefit from having a US partner;
    • Those that are already involved in a project with a US partner but need additional funding;
    • Those that have a project idea for which there would be significant benefits from involving US partners;
    • Those wishing to provide UK input to standards making and derivation of best practices.

13. Expressions of Interest should be submitted via letter, email or fax, in the following format:

    Surname:

    Name:

    Title:

    Organisation:

    Contact details (address, phone, fax, e-mail):

    Project Name:

    Project description (500 words maximum):

    Is it an Internet2 project (Yes/No):

    US partner required or have (if so, please name US organisation):

    Bandwidth requirements:

    Funding requirements:

    Other requirements:

14. The deadline for receipt of Expressions of Interest is 12:00 noon on Friday 9th June 2000. Those shortlisted by the steering group will be notified by Tuesday 20th June 2000, and asked to submit a full proposal including projects plans and costs. The deadline for the submission of full proposals is Wednesday 12th July 2000, followed by the final announcement of the approved projects on Wednesday 2nd August 2000.

15. Expressions of Interest, including any questions, should be sent to:

    Rina Samani
    UKERNA
    Atlas Centre
    Chilton, Didcot
    Oxfordshire. OX11 0QS.
    Tel: (01235) 822 200 ext 260
    Fax: (01235) 822 399
    Email: R.Samani@ukerna.ac.uk

16. A JANET / Internet2 open meeting will be held on 13th June 2000 at Westminster, London.