ASSOCIATION OF USERS OF UKRAINIAN RESEARCH AND ACADEMIC NETWORK URAN

Their core work

URAN operates Ukraine's national research and education network (NREN), providing high-speed internet connectivity and e-infrastructure services to universities and research institutions across the country. As part of the GÉANT ecosystem, they ensure Ukrainian academia is connected to the pan-European research networking backbone. They also contributed to transatlantic connectivity initiatives linking Europe with Latin America via submarine cable infrastructure.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

URAN's early H2020 involvement (2015-2016) centered on general GÉANT participation and transatlantic connectivity through BELLA-S1, with no detailed keyword data available for those initial projects. From 2019 onward, their profile sharpened significantly toward multi-domain networking, network security, trust, and e-infrastructure — reflecting GÉANT's own evolution toward more sophisticated, secure research networking services. The shift suggests URAN moved from basic connectivity provision toward more specialized network engineering and security capabilities.

URAN is deepening its capabilities in secure, multi-domain research networking — making them increasingly relevant for projects requiring trusted cross-border data infrastructure.

How they like to work

URAN operates exclusively as a participant, never as coordinator — consistent with its role as a national node within the larger GÉANT network. With 40 unique partners across 38 countries, they work in very large international consortia typical of pan-European infrastructure projects. This makes them an accessible, low-friction partner already embedded in one of Europe's largest research collaboration networks.

URAN has collaborated with 40 partners across 38 countries, almost entirely through the GÉANT consortium — one of the widest geographic networks in European research infrastructure. Their reach spans from Latin America (via BELLA-S1) to virtually every European country.

What sets them apart

URAN is Ukraine's gateway to the European research networking ecosystem. For any consortium needing Ukrainian connectivity, academic network access, or an Eastern Partnership dimension, URAN is the natural partner. Their long-standing GÉANT membership and BELLA-S1 involvement demonstrate reliability and commitment to international research infrastructure cooperation, even with modest funding levels.

Highlights from their portfolio

• GN4-2
  Largest EC contribution to URAN (EUR 23,773) and the longest-running GÉANT phase they participated in (2016-2020).
• BELLA-S1
  Unique non-GÉANT project — transatlantic submarine cable initiative connecting Europe with Latin America, showing reach beyond European networking.
• GN4-3N
  Focused specifically on long-term backbone capacity increase, indicating URAN's involvement in physical infrastructure expansion, not just services.