UNC Greensboro (UNCG) and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (N.C. A&T) have been awarded a two-year National Science Foundation (NSF) grant of $499,912 to build a high-speed research data network that will both connect the two largest universities in the Triad with each other and enable faster, easier sharing of research with scientists around the world.
The Gate City Research Network (GCRN) is one of only 11 NSF Campus Cyber Infrastructure awards in the state of North Carolina and is the first award in the state for the category of Network Infrastructure. Approximately $358,000 of the award will be managed directly by UNCG, while approximately $142,000 will be managed by NC A&T as a “sub-award.”
The GCRN will create a multi-institutional network supporting research activities through a clean, low-latency, high-speed internet connection. This will give researchers access to dedicated, high performance computing resources while helping to eliminate issues posed by using existing networks that also carry administrative, entertainment (i.e. movie streaming, gaming), and other non-scientific data. The GCRN will enable fast transfers of the enormous amount of data that fuels innovative research. This will significantly increase the fundamental research capacity in disciplines such as chemistry, nano-engineering, nano-, computer-, and data science.
Originally published July 2, 2019.