Over 55 million researchers, academics and students across the Asia-Pacific, including India, are set to benefit from a new phase of dedicated research and education (R&E) networking – Asi@Connect, co-funded by the EU – which was formally inaugurated at the APAN43 (Asia Pacific Advanced Network 43) meeting in New Delhi, India to seamlessly extend and build on the successful Trans-Eurasia Information Network (TEIN) initiative.
Asi@Connect is the successor project to TEIN4, the most recent phase of the TEIN initiative. It currently supports 24 countries/economies by providing a regional high-capacity internet backbone for R&E collaborations within the Asia-Pacific and, its interconnection to the pan-European GÉANT network, and with other parts of the world.
The Asi@Connect contract was signed in December 2016 between the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO) and the Korea-based regional networking organisation TEIN*CC, which has been managing TEIN4. With a substantial five-year EU co-funding commitment of € 20 mn. until 2021, Asi@Connect is designed to support the countries across the region to the core project objective of “digital connectivity” and has linkages to both India’s flagship project “Digital India”and the EU’s “Digital Single Market”
During the launch ceremony, which was hosted by the Indian Asi@Connect partner NKN (National Knowledge Network), delegations from the European Union, the Korean Government and the Indian Government welcomed the kick-off of Asi@Connect and encouraged the R&E network community to build on achievements to date and further strengthen cooperation between Asia and Europe.
Some media coverage of the launch event here in India:
- http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/asi-connect-project-launched-to-bridge-digital-divide-in-asia-pacific-117021401286_1.html
- http://news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/India/20170214/3056386.html
- http://dailyworld.in/asiconnect-project-launched-to-bridge-digital-divide-in-asia-pacific/
- http://www.uniindia.com/asi@connect-project-launched-to-bridge-digital-divide-in-asia-pacific/india/news/781083.html
- http://news.delhionline.in/Asi@Connect-project-launched-to-bridge-digital-divide-in-Asia-Pacific-1655402
- http://yashnews.com/asiconnect-project-launched-to-bridge-digital-divide-in-asia-pacific/