EGI signs MoU with PITHIA-NRF

Today, we are excited to announce that EGI has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with PITHIA-NRF (Plasmasphere Ionosphere Thermosphere Integrated Research Environment and Access Services: a Network of Research Facilities), ensuring the continuity of the community at the end of the project and its technical support activities. This MoU aligns with EGI’s long-term strategy to support domain-specific research infrastructures with scalable and sustainable computational resources.

PITHIA-NRF represents a visionary European collaboration aimed at advancing scientific excellence in upper atmosphere research. By connecting world-class research institutions, experimental facilities, and advanced data integration tools, PITHIA-NRF has established a robust infrastructure for studying the ionosphere, thermosphere, and plasmasphere systems.

By signing the PITHIA-NRF MoU, 17 organisations commit to a shared governance framework that sustains collaboration beyond the project lifetime, supports strategic decision-making, and ensures the continued operation of the e-Science Centre as a core community service. Yin Chen, Senior Community Support Officer at EGI Foundation

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At the heart of the PITHIA-NRF collaboration are the PITHIA-NRF nodes and their invaluable contributions of datasets, models, workflows, and facilities, empowering domain researchers to advance scientific discovery. Central to this ecosystem is the PITHIA-NRF e-Science Center, an innovative platform that provides seamless access to high-quality datasets, sophisticated models, and cutting-edge computational tools. The e-Science Center integrates PITHIA-NRF’ data using established community standards, ensuring interoperability, reliability, and accessibility across research domains. Serving as a dynamic knowledge hub, it enables researchers to analyze complex phenomena, predict space weather impacts, and develop groundbreaking scientific and technological solutions.

The PITHIA-NRF collaboration transcends traditional boundaries, uniting academia, industry, and policymakers to foster innovation and support a diverse community of researchers. The sustainability of this community is critical to ensuring that the infrastructure continues to evolve and address global challenges in atmospheric science. By maintaining active engagement and cooperation among its members, the PITHIA-NRF community serves as a vital resource for enabling long-term scientific, educational, and societal impacts.