What is a day in the life of an NREN like? Do we all share the same daily grind? Are differences keeping us apart or are we brighter together?
In this session, 3 NRENs reveal their daily reality. They reflect on organisational culture, unravel the challenges ahead for NREN collaboration and question if the world needs more NRENs at all.
Chair: Dawn Ng (GÉANT)
A bright future together
NRENs have come a long way as individual organisations and as a collective acting through GÉANT, and we’ve figured out how to achieve good and tangible results together. However, what served us well in the past may not be sufficient for the future. In this talk I aim to present a holistic and easy-to-understand overview of the challenges facing the GÉANT collaboration, possible paths forward and their practical consequences, benefits and cons, observed from the point of view of an active participant in the GÉANT collaboration. The aim of the talk is to provide food for thought: to make the wider GÉANTcommunity aware of the major issues at play and enable all community participants to participate in and contribute to the further maturing of the GÉANT collaboration from their perspective, so we can have a bright future, together
Speaker: Jan Meijer (Sikt)
Does the World Need More NRENs?
National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) have played a crucial role in fostering collaboration, innovation, and connectivity in research and education. However, the question remains: does the world need more NRENs, or should efforts focus on optimizing existing ones? What have we done, what have we not done and what do we need to do? This presentation critically examines the current state of NRENs, assessing their impact in addressing challenges. Drawing on case studies from existing NRENs, the session will highlight how they have tackled specific challenges while identifying areas for future improvement.
Speaker: Joshua Brian Kituyi (Research and Education Network for Uganda)
“It’s fine” – a story of NREN culture
A look at the culture of NRENs from the perspective of how it can interact with and affect personal life. By looking into personal stories of emotion and trauma this talk brings to life how a good organisational culture can play out in daily life, how it affects individuals performance and wellbeing, and why NRENs are exemplars for simply getting these things right.
Speaker: Neil Shewry (Jisc)
