British researchers, businesses, and academics are poised to benefit from expanded access to future supercomputer research funding, as the UK officially joins the European High Performance
Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC) on Monday, May 13th. Spearheaded by the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology under the leadership of The Rt Hon Michelle Donelan MP, this move integrates the UK into a world-class European supercomputing ecosystem, unlocking an augmented share of the Horizon Europe-funded segment totaling £770 million from 2021 to 2027.
EuroHPC consolidates supercomputing resources from 35 countries, encompassing eight supercomputers strategically located across Europe, from Portugal to Finland. This collaboration offers British scientists a gateway to cutting-edge facilities for breakthroughs in various fields, including drug discovery, personalized medical therapies, and advancements in clean energy solutions.
The partnership aligns with the UK's commitment to nurturing excellence in supercomputing research, fostering collaboration among leading minds in the field. By participating in the Joint Undertaking, UK scientists gain access to crucial research support opportunities, bolstering the nation's computational capabilities.
Following the UK's bespoke association with Horizon Europe, secured in November, this latest development grants further access to EuroHPC's Horizon Europe-funded resources, amplifying opportunities for UK researchers, businesses, and scientists. With government match funding in place, stakeholders are encouraged to pursue EuroHPC grants, ensuring the UK remains at the forefront of computational research.
The EuroHPC grants necessitate match-funding from the UK on a case-by-case basis, with details on funding availability to be communicated in due course. Researchers can submit applications for EuroHPC system time and Horizon-funded research and innovation grants via the EuroHPC website.
Michelle Donelan, Secretary for Science, Innovation, and Technology, underscores the significance of supercomputers in driving transformative advancements across sectors, emphasizing the UK's commitment to leveraging these tools for societal and economic growth. Donelan urges researchers to seize the opportunity and engage with EuroHPC for support.
This initiative represents the latest in a series of government endeavors to maximize UK access to research and development funding and foster international collaboration. In addition to the association with Horizon Europe, recent efforts include joining the 'Chips Joint Undertaking' and investing in world-leading compute facilities such as the Isambard-AI and Dawn supercomputers.
Through EuroHPC, UK researchers gain access to a spectrum of supercomputing resources, including pre-exascale and petascale systems located across Europe. This enhanced connectivity underscores the UK's commitment to advancing scientific discovery and innovation on both national and international fronts. Photo by https://www.flickr.com/photos/bryansjs, Wikimedia commons.