In just 5 editions, the Advanced Computing Projects Competition promoted by FCT, through its digital services unit FCCN, has reached this emblematic milestone – more than 1000 approved projects.
This achievement reveals the initiative's important role in national scientific and technological research and symbolizes a trajectory of consolidated growth and the scientific community's confidence in the national funding model that supports it with high-performance computing resources.
The Advanced Computing Projects Competition: from 2021 to the present day.
Launched in 2020, the Advanced Computing Projects Competition aims to increase the national and international competitiveness of science, promote innovation and knowledge transfer, and strengthen institutional skills in the use of HPC, Cloud, and advanced visualization resources.
Strengthening the capacity of research teams and companies to develop cutting-edge science and technology is based on access instruments — A0 (Experimental), A1 (Development), A2 (Regular) and A3 (Largest Scale) — which allow teams, from beginners to projects with high computational demands, to benefit from systems such as CNCA resources (CIRRUS & STRATUS), Deucalion and MareNostrum 5, supercomputers funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan.
Us first four contests, the Advanced Computing Laboratory of the University of Coimbra (LCA) and the High Performance Computing at the University of Évora (HPC-UÉ) They played a decisive role, providing the necessary technical and computational capacity to drive dozens of research projects in areas as diverse as life sciences, engineering, environment, physics, and artificial intelligence. Their contribution was essential for the initial growth and consolidation of the national community of advanced computing users.
Applications are now open for the 6th edition. Reaching the 1000-project mark is also a symbolic boost for the future: 6th edition The Advanced Computing Projects competition is already underway, with applications open for all access types — in the CNCA, Deucalion, and MareNostrum5 systems.
The Advanced Computing Service reaffirms the importance of maintaining this momentum of growth and confidence, inviting new teams to submit proposals and contribute to strengthening the advanced computing ecosystem in Portugal.
