MACHBA - INTERUNIVERSITY COMPUTATION CENTER

Their core work

IUCC is Israel's national research and education network (NREN), providing internet connectivity, high-performance computing access, and e-infrastructure services to all Israeli universities. They operate the backbone network connecting Israeli academia to GÉANT (the pan-European research network) and global research infrastructures. Their core work includes managing network infrastructure, enabling access to supercomputing resources through PRACE, and supporting data-intensive research across disciplines from life sciences to climatology.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015–2017), IUCC focused on international capacity building — connecting regions (Latin America, Southeast Europe, Eastern Mediterranean) and enabling cross-disciplinary data sharing in fields like life sciences, climatology, and cultural heritage. From 2019 onward, their focus consolidated around core network infrastructure: secure multi-domain networking, trust frameworks, and scaling backbone capacity for research communication. The shift signals a move from outward-facing expansion projects toward hardening and scaling their core NREN mission.

IUCC is deepening its investment in secure, high-capacity research networking and HPC access — expect them to be a reliable infrastructure partner for any project requiring robust connectivity or computing resources.

How they like to work

IUCC participates exclusively as a partner, never as coordinator — consistent with their role as a national infrastructure provider contributing to large pan-European programmes. They operate in very large consortia (119 unique partners across 45 countries), which reflects the mega-project nature of GÉANT and PRACE rather than selective partnering. Working with IUCC means accessing a stable, institutional partner that delivers infrastructure components reliably within large-scale collaborative frameworks.

With 119 unique consortium partners across 45 countries, IUCC has one of the broadest collaborative networks possible — a natural result of their involvement in GÉANT and PRACE, which include nearly every European NREN and HPC centre. Their reach extends beyond Europe to Latin America through BELLA.

What sets them apart

IUCC is Israel's sole NREN, making them the mandatory gateway for connecting Israeli research institutions to European and global research networks. For any consortium needing an Israeli partner with infrastructure delivery capability, IUCC is the natural choice — they bring institutional stability, a track record across all major e-infrastructure programmes, and direct links to every Israeli university. Their position outside the EU but deeply embedded in EU research infrastructure makes them a bridge for Euro-Mediterranean and transatlantic collaborations.

Highlights from their portfolio

• GN4-3
  Largest single EC contribution (EUR 297,686) — represents IUCC's peak involvement in the GÉANT research networking programme covering secure multi-domain networking.
• BELLA-S1
  Unique global scope — building a submarine cable between Europe and Latin America for research connectivity, far beyond typical NREN operations.
• VI-SEEM
  Most multidisciplinary project — created a virtual research environment spanning life sciences, climatology, and cultural heritage for the Southeast Europe/Eastern Mediterranean region.