Last modification: 2007-05-04

The OCCASION project

The Silk Project provides connectivity to GEANT2 from the National Research and Educations Networks (NRENs) of the 8 Newly Independent States (NISs) of the Caucasus and Central Asia, and of Afghanistan. The Silk Project is supported by a number of organisations, with the largest funding coming from the NATO Security through Science Programme, with substantial contributions from Cisco and DESY.

The OCCASION Project manages the Silk Project, provides additional features (e.g. network management, VoIP and videoconferencing tools), and services such as information, CSIRTs and operational support. Their deployment and maintenance help researchers in the Silk countries to collaborate with their colleagues in the European Union. Another aspect of the project is to identify significant User Groups, active in both the Silk countries and the European Union, who need to use the Silk network for their collaborations. It then fosters the requisite training and joint workshops (co-funded with other bodies) to enable useful collaborations. Finally, it will assist the Silk NRENs to move towards an environment in which their networks will be self-sustainable without continued large-scale financial contributions from the EC and NATO.

There is a separate OCCASION web site for all project related information: http://www.ist-occasion.org/