The European Union will invest 52 million euro (US$63.3 million) in grid research to
push the technology out of the lab and into the hands of business.
The European Commission announced on Tuesday that it would fund 12
research projects with the aim of boosting business competitiveness and
creating new markets and services.
Calling grid computing
commission announced that the bulk of the funding would go to four projects, with
eight others getting a slice.
The SIMDAT project will develop generic technologies for the
automotive, aerospace and pharma industries. The focus will be on using
grids to solve complex data-processing problems in product development and
production process design.
The NEXTGRID project focuses on delivering a new grid architecture, tailored to
business and industry requirements, by the end of the decade.
The AKOGRIMO project will build on mobile communications and IPv6
demonstrate a vision of “mobile dynamic virtual organizations,” with an
emphasis on e-health and e-learning.
The COREGRID project will bring together existing grid research
communities by creating virtual “centers of excellence” and stimulating joint research
programs among research institutes across Europe.
“These projects will accelerate Europe’s drive to turn its substantial
Grid research investment into tangible economic benefits,” Olli Rehn, Enterprise and
Information Society commissioner, said in a statement. “Greater use
of grid tools is key for mobilizing Europe’s scientific and technological
capital to deliver greater competitiveness and better products.”
The projects are funded by Information Society Technologies research,
which is part of the EU’s sixth research Framework Program. Its approach to
grid research combines “technology push” — developing the underlying technologies and
interoperability standards — with “application pull” — developing the
enabling technologies needed for real-world applications, including
modeling, simulation, data mining and collaborative working tools.
