The Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) announced the results of the 4th edition of the Advanced Computing Projects Competition, FCT/CPCA/2023/01. This competition aims to promote scientific research and technological innovation by allocating advanced computing resources to national projects in a wide range of scientific fields.
Approved Projects
THE The 4th edition of the Advanced Computing Projects competition achieved an acceptance rate of 94%, with a total of 163 projects approved out of 173 applications submitted. These results set a new milestone in terms of the number of projects submitted and approved, surpassing all previous editions.
The 163 approved projects represent access to more than 50 national institutions and small businesses. Over 250 million CPU core hours and over 230,000 GPU hours allocated, with an estimated valuation of projects of more than 3 million euros.
The projects are distributed across various access types, and The big news this year was the entry into operation of the supercomputers Deucalion and MareNostrum 5 – Spanish supercomputer in which Portugal holds a share, with support from the EU RRP in Portugal—which enabled the addition of the A3 type for large access points. This funding also contributes to the maintenance of the Portuguese supercomputer.
Learn more at https://recuperarportugal.gov.pt
Available platforms
Approved projects will be implemented on the platforms of the National Advanced Computing Network (RNCA), which offer High Performance Computing (HPC), Scientific Cloud Computing (SCC) or Virtual Research Environments (VRE) resources:
- Navigator of LCA-UC (Advanced Computing Laboratory of the University of Coimbra)
- Oblivion and Vision of HPC-UÉ (HPC Center of the University of Évora)
- Cirrus and Stratus from INCD (National Infrastructure for Distributed Computing)
- Deucalion (Azurém, Guimarães)
- MareNostrum 5 (Barcelona Supercomputing Center)
In addition to the support provided by RNCA, there is also a European partnership, EuroHPC, which has open competitions access to European supercomputers, such as the LUMI, the Vega or the Meluxin.
Project Typologies
Beneficiaries have 6 or 12 months to implement HPC and SCC projects, or 24 months for VRE projects. Projects are divided into four access types:
- A0, Experimental access: 43 projects
- A1, Development Access: 63 projects
- A2, Regular access: 36 projects
- A3, Larger Access: 21 projects.
Distribution by Scientific Area
The approved projects cover a wide range of scientific fields, reflecting the diversity of the applications. Engineering, Physics, and Chemistry continue to be the scientific fields that most frequently use these resources. The percentage distribution of projects by scientific field is as follows:
- Physics and Mathematics: 31%
- Engineering and Technology: 26%
- Chemistry and Materials: 20%
- Life and Health Sciences: 15%
- Earth and Environmental Sciences: 8%
Impact and Future Perspectives: 5th Edition of the MareNostrum 5 Competition and Access
The allocation of advanced computing resources enables the continuity and development of research, as well as increasing the national and international competitiveness of science, contributing to the advancement of scientific and technological knowledge in Portugal. The FCT congratulates all researchers and institutions that submitted their applications in the 4th call, recognizing the high level of quality of the proposals submitted and alerting them to the opening of 5th Advanced Computing Project Competition, scheduled for September 10th:
It is also open to Expression of Interest for access to the MareNostrum 5 production phase, aimed at the national sectors of Science, Technology, Innovation and Public Administration.
Interested parties should complete and submit the simplified form available until September 9, 2024.
These are initiatives of the FCCN, digital services of the FCT, responsible for promoting the development of the RNCA, through the coordination of national advanced computing resources, the stimulation of cooperation between the various centers involved and the development of national and international partnerships with other entities.
For more information about Advanced Computing and competitions, visit the website RNCA, the website of FCT or contact rnca@fccn.pt
