GridGuide : (REUNA)

REUNA, Red Universitaria Nacional (National University Network - Chile), is a non-profit private corporation made up of 15 Chilean universities, the AURA Observatory and the National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research (CONICYT). Its an initiative of university collaboration, that counts on the only technological infrastructure of advanced networks of academic nature, dedicated to research and development in Chile. The university coporation is based in Santiago, the Chilean capital city.

It was born in 1992, with the creation of the first university network connected to Internet, and in 1998 it is empowered by the launch of REUNA2, the first high speed network of Latin America. In the year 2000, REUNA integrates the Advanced Education Networks, by means of its connection to Internet2.

REUNA provides to their community with services in matters of Information and Communications Technologies, supported by a work team highly qualified and committed, that promotes the interuniversity work through the use of its infrastructure of advanced research and education network, connecting its member institutions with its international pairs, in order to increase the quality of their supply and take advantage in a collaborative way of the opportunities that the internationalization gives.

In year 2000 REUNA connected Chile to Internet2, this was the first connection of a Latin American country to the Advanced Networks for Research and Education. In year 2004, REUNA connected to the RedCLARA Network (Chile was the first Latin-American country to settle this connection), and ever since then is well connected with Europe -by means of the interconnection with GÉANT2- and the rest of the world.

REUNA started working in grid projects in year 2004, and ever since year 2006 is hardly promoting the e-Science development in Chile and the Latin-American region.

Grid projects in which REUNA has been involved:

  • UCRAV - Scienctific Instruments grid (national initiative lead by REUNA)
  • EELA - E-infrastructure shared between Europe and Latin America (international initiative, 2006 - 2007)
  • RINGrid - Remote Instrumentation in Next-generation Grids (international initiative, 2006 - 2008)
  • Chilean e-Science Congresses and Workshops (organized and lead by REUNA, with both national and international reach)
  • EELA-2 - E-science grid facility for Europe and Latin America
  • CL-Grid (national initiative that aims to establish a national grid)
National Grid Agreement:

In late 2007 REUNA signed a National Grid Agreement with the following institutions: Universidad Católica del Norte, Universidad Santa María, Universidad de la Frontera, Universidad de Valparaíso and Universidad de Chile. The agreement was made in the framework of the EELA2 project, but it is much broader than the actions and compromises that REUNA and each one of the institutions that signed the agreement have with the project (actually, some of the institutions are not members of EELA-2 and some are not members of REUNA).

The objectives of this Agreement are the following:
  • To facilitate the use of grid technologies in research and education and its linkage with the private and government sectors.
  • To promote and support the development of a grid infrastructure in Chile.
  • To increase knowledge of the scientific community, industry, government and the general public on the potential applications and benefits of the grid technologies.
  • To strengthen the national grid initiatives in the actions of international cooperation on R&D, including the European FP7.

REUNA Members