The RES aims to manage high performance computing technologies to promote the progress of excellent science and innovation in Spain.
To this end, the RES offers its resources through an open common competitive access. Thus, the application procedure is unique for all the RES nodes and based on criteria of efficacy, efficiency and transparency. This common access guarantees optimal use of the resources available in the network (computing, storage, parallelization, etc.).
The RES also promotes and executes common interest actions for all its nodes. For instance, it promotes shared investment plans, training and dissemination, and joint participation in national and international calls and projects.
The Spanish Supercomputing Network was created in March 2007 by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science. Initially, it included eight institutions (Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputación, Universidad de Zaragoza, Universidad de Cantabria, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Universidad de Valencia, Universidad de Málaga, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias and Instituto Tecnológico de Canarias). In March 2015 the RES added new nodes; more recently, the nodes of NASERTIC, PIC and CIEMAT have joined. Now it is composed of 14 institutions offering 16 supercomputers and 9 data services facilities.
Since 2014, the RES has been part of the Spanish “Map of Unique Scientific and Technical Infrastructure (ICTS)”, as it is an infrastructure exceptional in its field, with public ownership and open to competitive access.
The RES Council is the main governing body of the Spanish Supercomputing Network and is composed of one representative from each institution. The Spanish General Secretary of Scientific Policy Coordination nominates the Council President, and the Vice-President is the BSC-CNS Council representative.
Among other issues, the RES Council decides on the nomination of RES manager, the annual work plan and associated budget, the RES strategic plan, inclusion/exclusion of nodes and the minimal technical requirements for the supercomputers incorporated into the RES, approval of the annual report and approval of the Access Committee's working rules.
CURES (Comité de Usuarios de la Red Española de Supercomputación) was established on 9 February 2010. Its purpose is to provide advice and feedback to the RES manager and technicians about the current state and future delivery of RES resources and services. CURES aims to promote optimal use of the high performance computing facilities by sharing information about users’ experiences, suggesting new research and technology directions in scientific computing, and voicing user concerns. RES users can contact with CURES through the online form available in the intranet.
CURES members are eight scientists, two from each RES area, chosen by the Access Committee Coordinators. All are PIs (Principal Investigators) and users of RES resources.
The Chair and Vice‐Chair are elected for a two-year period from amongst its members, and half of the members are renewed every year. The current CURES chair is Javier Junquera.
Current CURES team, after renewal of members (oct. 2019):
- Representatives of Physics (FI)
- Javier Junquera, Dpt. de Ciencias de la Tierra y Física de la Materia Condensada, Universidad de Cantabria
- María José Caturla, Universidad de Alicante
- Representative of Engineering and Mathematics (IM)
- Javier Salvador, Universitat Politècnica de València
- Representatives of Solid State Chemistry (QS)
- José Javier Plata, Universidad de Sevilla
- Mercedes Boronat, Instituto de Tecnología Química, UPV-CSIC Valencia
- Representative of Chemistry of Biological Systems (QSB)
- Concepción González-Bello, Centro Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica e Materiais Moleculares (CIQUS), USC
- Representatives Biomedicine and Life Sciences (BCV)
- Jean-Didier Marechal, Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
- Representatives of Astronomy, Space and Earth Sciences (AECT)
- Miguel Ángel Aloy, Grupo de Astrofísica Relativista, Universitat de València - CURES Chair.
- Elena Khomenko, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias
