What is the GÉANT Community Programme?
At its core, the GCP is a grassroots initiative, shaped by experts from NRENs, research institutions, user organisations, and industry stakeholders. It represents the community priorities and interest and provides a variety of channels and platforms that offer the space for people to collaborate, learn, and share experiences. Many of these ideas go on to become services, tools, or improvements that benefit the entire sector, such as projects implemented within the Innovation Programme.
What does the GCP do?
The focus of the GCP’s portfolio is a dynamic one, reflecting both internal and external factors influencing the community. Some of its key elements include Special Interest Groups (SIGs), support for innovative research, and various collaborative initiatives. As the community grows and changes, new mechanisms are introduced to ensure it remains relevant and effective.
SIGs are effective forums to share information, best practices and discuss possible innovations or further development of current services or products. They are self-managed and sustained, with minimal support from project funding, although the GCP plays a role in bringing the groups together to cross fertilise and strengthen interdisciplinary initiatives. Other aspects of the GCP are supported by project funding and member contributions to enable timebound and actionable results that advance community ideas or strategically link them to existing workstreams. The GCP also takes into account adjacent communities and coordinates its activities to ensure mutual benefit.
The Framework at a Glance
The GCP Framework was developed to provide clearer direction and structure for the programme. Led by the GÉANT Community Committee (GCC)—an advisory body that takes a bottom-up approach to representing community interests—the framework outlines the GCP’s vision, mission, and objectives.
Vision: A connected, collaborative and harmonised research and education networking community.
Goal: to be the primary forum for enabling and fostering collaboration and harmonisation in the R&E networking community, furthering development and progress in Internet technology, infrastructure, R&E services, digital transformation and activities, and of the research and education community itself. The community drives the digital engine of a thriving European knowledge economy and connects it to its global peers.
Mission: Provide optimal conditions for the R&E networking community to collaborate both face-to-face and virtually.
This involves creating mechanisms to enable participation and inclusion across the diversity of Europe and globally, providing conducive spaces to exchange on topics and trends of strategic importance. It supports channels for GÉANT and the community to turn ideas into action and results that benefit the overall R&E sector.
Objectives:
- Identify and share areas and trends benefiting NRENs and the wider R&E community.
- Connect people to the right human network and facilitate knowledge transfer across Europe and globally.
- Support methods of eliminating gaps within the R&E community and foster an inclusive community that represents the diversity of the entire community.
- Facilitate group collaborations and strategic links to relevant initiatives within GÉANT and the broader community to maximize impact.
The framework is regularly reviewed to ensure it stays aligned with the community’s evolving needs and continues driving meaningful progress.
Elections for GCC members will take place this year.
Check out the GCP website to learn more about how you can get involved with our activities.
