General Coordinator
Three decades of history
At the genesis of FCCN is the Foundation for the Development of the National Means of Scientific Calculation, created on 23 December 1986.
30 years changing the Internet, giving our best to the national scientific community, providing dozens of services to thousands of users.
Today FCCN connects more than 80 higher education institutions, laboratories and other public institutions with high-speed connections.
In these three decades we have developed a range of collaboration, communication, computing, security and knowledge services for our users to do more and better.
The first steps in history.
1986 - Creation of the Foundation for the Development of the National Means of Scientific Calculation
On December 23, 1986, which would give rise to the FCCN.
Its founding members were the Junta Nacional de Investigação Científica e Tecnológica (JNICT), the Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil (LNEC), the Instituto Nacional de Investigação Científica (INIC ) and the Conselho de Reitores das universidades portuguesas (CRUP).
According to the initial statutes, the object of its activity was the development of national means of scientific calculation, the promotion and installation of powerful calculation means and their articulation with other scientific and technical entities in the public and private sectors.
1987 - The first executive board of the Foundation takes office.
Apart from logistical issues, FCCN sought right from the start to help the Portuguese scientific and technological community to overcome "glaring deficiencies" in computer resources for scientific calculation.
The meeting of networks.
1988 - Included in its plan of activities the foundations for the establishment, in Portugal, of the National Scientific Calculus Network (RCCN).
It was the predecessor of the current RCTS. In June of that year, FCCN promoted a Meeting on Networks that brought together in Lisbon a large number of Portuguese teachers and researchers.
History tells us that the importance of data networks was recognised for the more rational exploitation of computer equipment, for the exchange of messages and files (the first steps of electronic mail) and for consulting databases.
The importance of interconnecting the new network with its European counterparts in order to combat the isolation of Portuguese researchers was stressed.
Supply to all schools in the country.
1995 - GigaPix starts operating.
A neutral, non-profit Portuguese point for the exchange of traffic, with the aim of improving the quality of the interconnection of IP networks in Portugal.
1997 - Start of internet provision to all schools in the country.
RCTS ensured the connection to 1650 schools, from 5th to 12th grade.
1998 - Start of the videoconference service.
Development of optical fiber.
2002 - CERT.PT was created and filled the gap of a CERT at national level.
Until 2014 the RCTS CERT used the name CERT.PT and assumed in history a national mission in security incident response. After the creation of CNCS, an entity that assumed responsibility at national level for coordinating incident response, the FCCN CERT was renamed RCTS CERT, reflecting the new scope of action - the RCTS Network.
2003 IPv6 connection to the European GÉANT network & e-U initiative (predecessor in history to eduroam).
FCCN has been evolving RCTS in order to support functional Internet services in both technologies - IPv4 and IPv6, having been one of the first to do so with international connectivity through the European GÉANT network.
Portugal was the first country to have eduroam and national mobility through hotspots available in almost all its institutions, thanks to the national government's investment in a project to implement Wi-Fi networks.
2004 - Start-up of b-on - Online Knowledge Library, of the Videodiffusion service and implementation of Fibre Optics at RCTS
A service that stimulates the community to consume and produce scientific content and another that allows the live broadcast of events worldwide via the internet.
A leap in broadband is also part of this history, when in 2004 a fibre optic cable was acquired, awarded to Refer Telecom and a contract was also signed for the installation of the fibre optic cable, maintenance services and accommodation of equipment.
2005 - Start of the eduroam and RCTS VoIP services.
Optical infrastructure investments were also made for RCTS, which reached an approximate extension of 100kms of 48 fibre cable.
More services available.
2007 - Start of the Arquivo.pt service and the Security Incident Alert Line.
A service for the preservation of the Portuguese digital heritage, which is also important for the preservation of history and a service for directing reports of alleged illegal online content.
2008 - Start of the Open Access Scientific Repository of Portugal (RCAAP).
Start of the national open access initiative and aims to store, preserve, promote access to scientific knowledge produced in Portugal.
2009 - Start of the desktop videoconference service (Colibri), the e-learning support service(educast) and opening of the Studio.
Inauguration of the HD Studio and immersive rooms. Creation of an international fibre optic ring on the Iberian Peninsula, connecting to the Spanish NREN RedIRIS in May 2009, on the borders of Badajoz and Galicia.
Integration into FCT
2012 - Integration of FCCN in the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT).
Integration in the FCT of the mission and attributions that were being carried out by the FCCN, as a public foundation under private law - Decree-Law no. 55/2013.
2013 - Creation of DNS.PT Association, succeeding FCCN in the responsibility of managing the .pt top level domain.
The mission and attributions of FCCN would be integrated in the Foundation for Science and Technology, IP.
2014 - Start of the PTCRIS
Structuring programme for science and technology management that aims to promote the integration of various science support information systems used by researchers, science managers or the general public
2017 - INCD and start of the RCTS100Project
National Infrastructure for Distributed Computing (INCD) provides HPC (High Performance Computing) facilities under the FCT research infrastructures roadmap.
Developing national capabilities for communication and computing of big data to meet the most demanding technological needs of the research community.
2018 - Start of CIÊNCIAVITAE and CIÊNCIAID and Iberian Network for Advanced Computing
The new Portuguese Scientific Curriculum and the National Science Identifier, respectively. Agreement between Portugal and Spain to jointly develop an advanced computing network in Iberia.
2019 - Launch of the NAU Platform and RAE - Extended School Network is ensured
Start-up of the first courses on the Platform that operationalises the national initiative to operate the technical and operational infrastructure to support the publication and promotion of content in MOOC format.
RAE's connection to the Internet was ensured at 40Gbps to all 1st and 2nd cycle primary and secondary schools in the public network.
2020 - Launch of the National Network for Advanced Computing (RNCA)
The 1st edition of the RNCA Advanced Computing Projects Call was held, with computational capacity from 4 national centres: MACC (U. Minho), U. Coimbra, U. Évora and the National Advanced Computing Infrastructure (INCD) and the Regulations for the National Advanced Computing Network were published in the Official Gazette.
