Before joining the FCCN Network, a Higher Education Institution or Research Center usually relies on scattered solutions: its own connectivity contracts, individual videoconferencing licenses, internal certificate management and, in many cases, no team entirely dedicated to responding to security incidents. After joining, it becomes... Integrating a shared infrastructure, a common technological base, with gains in scale and security.which she would hardly be able to replicate on her own.
RCTS represents an ecosystem of approximately 30 digital services, encompassing the areas of knowledge, computing, collaboration, connectivity, security, and innovation.This network today it connects more than 90 entities. to the higher education system, national science and technology, and public administration, serving over 600,000 students, faculty, researchers and staffIt is this scale that allows FCCN, the digital services unit of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), to negotiate network capacity, security, and scientific content under conditions that no institution could achieve in isolation.
Translated into the daily lives of those who study, teach, or research, this contrast is felt in concrete changes. We highlight five of them below.
#1 The internet is no longer a daily concern.
Previously, ensuring stable access to the internet and academic networks outside the institution was a technical problem that each institution solved on its own. By joining FCCN, this access... it will be ensured by IP service, with speeds up to 100 Gbps and an operations center active 24 hours a day.A student who moves to another university, in Portugal or abroad, Connect to the wireless network using the same credentials you use at home via the eduroam, which in 2025 recorded more than 8.4 billion authentications in roaming globally.
#2 A single login for (almost) everything
Previously, each institutional platform needed its own account and password. RCTSaai This friction is resolved by allowing access to different national services with the institutional account.and international services through the eduGAIN federation. Institutions can even use federated authentication in their own internal solutions.
#3 Classes and events without needing commercial licenses
Previously, organizing a distance learning class or broadcasting a scientific event involved hiring [a professional/service]. software outside the institution's control. By joining the network, the institution will be able to benefit from... Colibri, one network video conferencing service, which went from about 300 daily sessions before the pandemic to an average of 15,000 sessions per day currently, with a version of webinar which supports a thousand participants. They are added together Videocast, for live streaming, the Estúdio, for audiovisual production, and the FileSender, which only in 2025 allowed sharing over 623,000 files securely stored.
#4 Less exposure to security incidents
Previously, an institution faced cyberattacks and vulnerabilities alone, usually without a dedicated team to monitor them. With this membership, it is covered by the CSIRT, FCT's security service, provided by FCCN, which in 2025 dealt with... Over 2.8 million security events, responded to 167 incidents and thwarted 234 attacks.They join together service Certificates, with more than 8,700 issued in the last year, and the Zelo, which supports compliance with the GDPR.
#5 Easy access to scientific content, supercomputers and AI
Previously, access to international scientific content, supercomputers, or advanced artificial intelligence depended on budgets that few institutions could sustain on their own. Through RCTS, researchers gain access to... RCAAP, with over one million scientific documents in open access., and to the IAedu, which provides advanced artificial intelligence models for free.Those who need calculation skills can still apply for... advanced computing competitionswith access to resources such as Deucalion and the MareNostrum5In 2025 alone, there were 265 out of 269 applications approved. received.
Free access services and additional subscription services.
Not all of FCCN's digital services depend on institutional membership. Some, such as... Arquivo.pt, the NAU platform or the RCAAP, They are freely accessible and available to any user. through direct internet research. Others, such as RCTS Housing, the European agreement OCRE , with 4-year subscriptions, or a b-onThese require their own subscription, as they involve costs that vary depending on the size of each institution. b-on, a knowledge library. onlineFor example, it counted more than 21.5 million in 2025. downloads annual, serving 66 entities.
Who can benefit from this network?
The FCCN network is intended for national Higher Education and Research institutions, including universities, polytechnic institutes, State Laboratories, Associated Laboratories, Research and Development Units and other entities of the National Science and Technology System. The eligibility of other types of entities may be analyzed.
Interested entities can consult the membership conditions and the complete catalog of services on the FCCN website. To proceed with registration, they must complete the form. pre-registration form, also available on the website.
