GÉANT

🎓 Technology and the future of learning at #SXSWEDU 2026 – Recap by Domenico Vicinanza Last month, Domenico attended SXSW EDU in Austin as a mentor and contributor, exploring how technology and connectivity can support education, inclusion and new forms of collaboration. One clear takeaway: the conversations around technology and #AI in education have moved from theory to practice. It's no longer about whether this technology belongs in education, but how to use it thoughtfully, inclusively, and in ways that create more space for human connection. A few highlights that Domenico shared with us: 🔹 Mentoring sessions on using network technology in the classroom, showcasing the latest version of #eduMEET, our lightweight browser-based video collaboration tool.  🔹 Demonstrations of CESNET's UltraGrid, a free cross-platform audio-video tool that runs on laptops, opening up discussions about portability and making media workflows more approachable for educators.  🔹 A live music demo using GÉANT and Internet2 networks, a reminder that #Research and #Education infrastructures are not abstract systems, but cultural infrastructures, teaching platforms and community spaces. 🔗 Read Domenico’s full recap: https://lnkd.in/eqqW6qwY  

Great news from Jisc 🎉 This month, Jisc has reengineered its connectivity between Janet and GÉANT, now delivered via a single 400Gbit/s port. A significant upgrade that strengthens the digital bridge connecting the UK's #Research and #Education community to the rest of the world. Whether it's physicists collaborating on particle experiments, climate scientists exchanging vast datasets, or universities delivering joint degrees with overseas partners, this investment ensures that connection remains fast, reliable and future-proof. Strong partnerships make strong infrastructure. Congratulations to the Jisc team on this milestone 👏 🔗 Read more: https://lnkd.in/ePm9YwEM

Our very own Klaas Wierenga will take the stage at the GARR Conference 2026. On May 20, he and Giorgia Dragoni (Politecnico di Milano) will join a session on identity and federated services, moderated by Simona V. (GARR). Together, they'll explore authentication, authorisation and federation mechanisms for secure and seamless access to distributed services. A topic that has always been at the heart of what our community does. #confGARR26 will take place from May 19 to 21 at the Università di Pisa, bringing together researchers, technologists, and institutional representatives from across Italy's R&E community. 🔗 Join in person or remotely: https://lnkd.in/eEtiJgEE 

The first release of the EuroHPC Federation Platform (EFP) is now live 🎉 This marks an important step towards simplifying and unifying access to Europe’s supercomputing ecosystem for researchers, businesses and public sector organisations. What does this mean for European users? 🔹 A single access point to multiple operational EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) systems with a unified authentication and authorisation, identification (AAI) method 🔹 A more streamlined user experience, reducing complexity across systems and improving collaboration  🔹 Greater efficiency, from avoiding duplication of effort to supporting more sustainable use of resources  🔹 A platform designed to evolve, with future integration of EuroHPC AI Factories, quantum computing resources, and access to data spaces across Europe Leveraging the trusted identity frameworks developed by GÉANT and the European #Research & #Education community over the past two decades, the platform enables seamless and secure access to HPC resources. As Christos Kanellopoulos, Senior Trust and Identity Manager at GÉANT, notes: “The EuroHPC Federation Platform demonstrates what becomes possible when federated identity infrastructure is built on the trust frameworks developed over the past two decades by GÉANT and the research and education community. Through #eduGAIN and MyAccessID, this established trust fabric already connects millions of users across borders and across thousands of institutions. By using this infrastructure at its core, the EFP will now enable researchers and innovators across Europe to get seamless and secure access to world-class supercomputing resources.” 🔗 Read more: https://lnkd.in/e5TZEp5G CSC - IT Center for Science | IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center | University of Tartu | Ghent University | NORDUnet

#TNC26 hasn't even started, but we're already thinking about two keynotes we don't want to miss. 🔹 Maria Ritola — co-founder of AI research tool Iris.ai will open the conference on Tuesday with a keynote on what it actually takes to build successful teams and a good work life in the digital age.  🔹 Samuli Könönen - Cyber Security Coordinator from the Finnish National Cyber Security Centre (Liikenne- ja viestintävirasto Traficom / Transport- och kommunikationsverket Traficom) will ask a question that fits this year's theme of Digital Sisu perfectly: what happens when the threat to your security is invisible? His closing plenary talk on cognitive security is one we suspect will stay with people long after the conference is over. These are just two of the reasons to be in Helsinki this June. 👇 📌 Browse the full programme and find your own highlights: https://lnkd.in/ePfh8AeM  🎟️ Regular tickets, social passes and side meeting passes are still available: https://lnkd.in/d-HsvbfQ   💻 Can't make it in person? All sessions and plenaries will be livestreamed for free on the TNC26 website. No registration required. 

What does it feel like to work on real Trust & Identity challenges alongside experts from GÉANT and European NRENs while still being a student? Swipe to read stories from past participants of the Trust & Identity Incubator Mentorship (TIM) programme. 👉  Hear directly from alumni Jovan Simonoski (Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje / Универзитет „Св. Кирил и Методиј“ во Скопје), Anna Kardos, Domonkos Baczo and Aleksandr Petrunin on their programme experience, and read how it can benefit you and your career. Ready to apply? Be sure to read all the information and apply before 1 May 2026: https://lnkd.in/eKsYRuWf

This week, nominate someone you know for the 2026 GÉANT Community Award 🏆 You still have time — but only until 17 April! The GÉANT Community Award is your chance to: ✅ Celebrate the champions in our community  ✅ Give well-deserved recognition to colleagues and team members  ✅ Highlight the incredible work happening across #Research & #Education networking community 🔗 Nominate before 17 April (midnight CET): https://lnkd.in/dWhbTDRv 

🛡️ DAY 3 at GÉANT #SecurityDays | Securing tomorrow together Our third annual security conference came to a close today. What a full three days we had filled with learning, exchange, collaboration, and a lot of future thinking.  We wrapped up with three parallel morning sessions leading into a closing keynote from Alexandre Dulaunoy of CIRCL (Computer Incident Response Center Luxembourg), who left us with a critical truth to think about: cybersecurity today depends on transparency, collaboration, and trust. And open source isn't just about code, it’s about people. It's about building communities where knowledge, data, and expertise are shared to strengthen collective defence. The day also held a special moment. Alf Moens, whose vision sparked the creation of Security Days, was recognised and thanked as he approaches his (almost!) retirement. Security Days wouldn't exist without him. Thank you 👏 As we wrap up, we also want to say a massive thank you to everyone who helped make Security Days 2026 possible. To the more than 160 participants from 31 countries, thank you for your energy, your insights, and your willingness to build bridges across borders, disciplines, and perspectives. To this year’s Programme Committee led by Eugene Brin (DFN-CERT Services GmbH), to our local host SURF, and to the GÉANT organising team — Nadelina Sandu, Nicole Harris, and Rosanna Cramarossa Norman, who pulled it all together behind the scenes. And a big thank you also to this year’s sponsors: SecurityZONES, Arctic Security Ltd, Censys and Fox-IT. 🔗 Missed a session? All presentations are available on the programme page: https://lnkd.in/e4S4jnz8  💡 Now, it’s your turn! Let us know in the comments what you loved most about this edition of #SecurityDays 👇 📸 Photography by Nabeel Ashraf (GÉANT)

🛡️ DAY 2 at GÉANT #SecurityDays | Securing tomorrow together If Day 1 set the tone, Day 2 turned up the energy. The morning plenary opened with a keynote from Nancy Beers ♟ Serious Game Expert, introduced by Rosanne Pouw from SURF, that nobody in the room will forget quickly. Nancy didn't just talk about the power of play in cybersecurity. She made us live it. Within minutes, the room was on their feet, playing games, moving around, and laughing together. And somewhere between the fun, a genuinely important message landed: playfulness isn't a distraction from serious security work. It's a valid tool of its own, and one we should use more often. Nancy's talk was a reminder that the best security cultures aren't built on fear or compliance alone. They're built on curiosity, creativity, and yes, play. The afternoon wrapped up with our beloved Lightning Talks covering the wide range of what our security community cares about, from #cybersecurity awareness to #socialengineering and a security innovation lab concept. This session is a proof that Security Days is as much about breadth as it is about depth. 💬 What stayed with you from today? Share it in the comments. 

🛡️ DAY 1 at GÉANT #SecurityDays | Securing tomorrow together What a great start to our first day in Utrecht, with the sun shining and the R&E #security community coming together once again. A big thank you to over 160 participants from 31 countries who joined us for the third edition of Security Days. We opened with a warm welcome from Klaas Wierenga (GÉANT), Floor Jas (SURF) and Alf Moens (GÉANT), who set the tone for the coming days reminding us of our shared goals and the importance of building bridges. We then moved into the opening plenary with two keynotes offering different but complementary perspectives. Frank Rieger, hacker, author and internet activist, challenged us to look ahead at the bumpy road of IT security, where complexity and the pace of change continue to grow at an exponential rate. He left us with a simple but important reminder: make time to stay informed, keep learning and use the tools available to you. Valerie Aurora invited us to think differently about resilience. What happens if the internet is no longer there? Her simple and short answer: build communities like Internet Resiliency Club, using tools such as LoRa radios, mesh networking, and community management. And that was just part of the Day 1. With three workshops, parallel sessions, and plenty of engaging hallway conversations the first day was full of highlights and takeways. With such a strong start,  we’re looking forward to what Day 2 will bring. 💬 What is your highlight of the day? Share with us in the comments 👇