GÉANT’s GN5-1 project has successfully completed the Period 2 review by the European Commission (EC), marking another key milestone in the project’s continued delivery of cutting-edge networking and collaboration services to Europe’s research and education community.
The review, which took place at the end of March 2025, covered the second reporting period of the project. It assessed activities from January to December 2024, evaluating the project’s progress, outputs, and alignment with the overarching objectives of the Horizon Europe programme. The reviewers confirmed that GN5-1 was successful, commending the partners’ strong performance, technical achievements, and commitment to innovation and sustainability.
Building on the legacy of its predecessors, GN5-1 has been a cornerstone in GÉANT community’s mission to provide secure, high-capacity and high-performance connectivity and collaboration tools that meet the evolving needs of researchers, students, and educators across Europe and beyond. The successful outcome of the review reflects the continued dedication of the project’s partners and reinforces confidence in the next phase of the programme, GÉANT GN5-2, which started on January 1, 2025.
With a 30-month duration and funding of €80 million, GN5-2 is set to deliver faster, more resilient, and secure connectivity infrastructure alongside enhanced collaboration services. Under GN5-FPA, GN5-2 will address Horizon Europe’s priorities and will expand NRENs’ users beyond traditional scientific and research communities, enabling networking and access to the common European data spaces, and preparing non-traditional use of fiber, such as sensing technologies, Quantum, and Time and Frequency distribution.
We are delighted to report that the GN5-1 project EC review was successfully completed after a thorough examination by a very engaged team of external reviewers. Both the EC and the reviewers recognised the significant progress and complimented us on the achievements so far. Giulia Gasperini, our EC Project Officer, described the review as excellent, particularly in relation to ongoing operations, and noted that the comments received should be seen as a constructive reflection of the importance of the role played by GÉANT and the NRENs. We are already working to incorporate the small number of recommendations received in time for the next reporting period. I would like to extend our appreciation to all the contributors from the many partners involved in making GN5-1 project another highly successful project. – Tryfon Chiotis, GÉANT Chief Programmes Officer
We extend our heartfelt thanks to the many contributors across the GÉANT consortium who played a role in the preparation and execution of the GN5-1 Period 2 review. In particular, we wish to acknowledge the efforts of the GÉANT’s Project Management Office, the Project Management Board (PMB), the numerous subject matter experts, and the project partners.
To read more about the GÉANT’s projects, visit geant.org/projects
