APAN

APAN
Name	APAN
Formation	1990s
Type	International research and education network
Region served	Asia-Pacific

APAN The Asia-Pacific Advanced Network is a regional research and education networking organization that connects institutions across the Asia-Pacific region and links to global partners. It facilitates high-performance networking, collaboration, and advanced services among universities, research institutes, laboratories, and international projects. APAN hosts conferences, operational forums, and technical exchanges that engage a wide range of institutions from National University of Singapore to University of Melbourne and from India Institute of Science to Tsinghua University.

History

APAN emerged during the 1990s as regional demand for high-capacity links grew among institutions involved with projects such as Large Hadron Collider, Human Genome Project, and International Space Station. Early meetings included representatives from Australian National University, National Taiwan University, Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information, and University of Tokyo, seeking interoperability with backbones like Juniper Networks and Cisco Systems and research networks such as Internet2, GÉANT, and National Research and Education Network (NREN). APAN events supported collaborations that tied into major initiatives including GRID computing, Earth Observation programs coordinated with Group on Earth Observations, and disaster response efforts linked to agencies like ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance.

Organization and Membership

Membership comprises national research and education networks, higher education institutions such as Peking University, Seoul National University, University of Auckland, and intergovernmental organizations like APEC participants and regional bodies. Institutional members include labs such as CSIRO, observatories such as National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, and centers like A*STAR. APAN operates through working groups and task forces with participants from National Institutes of Health, European Commission delegations, and representatives of technology providers including Huawei and NEC Corporation. Participation spans sovereign entities from Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology delegations to Ministry of Science and Technology (India) observers.

Network Infrastructure and Services

APAN supports high-bandwidth links, peering arrangements, and services used by projects tied to CERN, NASA, and JAXA. Its network discussions cover technologies and vendors such as MPLS, Software-defined networking, BGP, Ethernet, Optical Transport Network, Huawei, and Ciena. APAN facilitates performance measurement tools interoperable with projects like perfSONAR and monitoring efforts used by RIPE NCC and APNIC. Network services discussed at APAN include multicast for collaborations with World Meteorological Organization, data replication for Protein Data Bank, and telepresence services used by delegations from UNESCO and World Health Organization.

Research and Education Activities

APAN enables research in areas connected with institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of Cambridge, and University of California, Berkeley through domain-specific exchanges for projects like Square Kilometre Array, ALMA Observatory, and Seismological Society collaborations. Educational initiatives include training aligned with Internet Society programs, workshops involving ACM and IEEE, and summer schools run with partners like Tokyo Institute of Technology and Indian Institute of Technology. APAN conferences host speakers from European Organization for Nuclear Research and panels featuring representatives of World Bank-funded research and regional development agencies such as Asian Development Bank.

Projects and Collaborations

APAN has been a platform for project coordination among consortia working on bioinformatics datasets used by EMBL-EBI and National Center for Biotechnology Information, climate-data sharing initiatives tied to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change contributors, and disaster response networks integrated with International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies efforts. Collaborative projects have included demonstrations with Internet2, GÉANT, and partnerships supporting events at Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum meetings. APAN-led experiments have involved sensor networks used by NOAA, distributed compute grids linked to PRACE, and art-science collaborations featuring participants from National Gallery Singapore and Sydney Opera House.

Governance and Funding

Governance structures include elected chairs, steering committees, and program committees with member representatives from National Science Foundation, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Ministry of Education, Singapore, and regional research councils. Funding models combine governmental grants, membership contributions, sponsorships from corporations such as Cisco Systems and Fujitsu, and project-based funding administered with partners like European Commission and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Operational coordination often involves liaison with international bodies including APEC, ASEAN, UNESCO, and technical registries like ICANN.

Category:Research and education networks