Organisation

The RNCA - National Network for Advanced Computing - is managed by the Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P. (FCT), with the aim of making advanced computing services available to the research, technology and innovation communities. It was created by the digital competences initiative Portugal INCoDe.2030It was created by the digital competencies initiative, through the resolution of the Council of Ministers 26/2018. It was integrated in the National Roadmap of Research Infrastructures of Strategic Interest (RNIE) in April 2019 through Order No. 4157/2019 of the Office of the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education.

In accordance with internal regulations, the RNCA is organised as follows, after the formal appointment of the respective bodies:

Where,

  • "The Coordination Council is the maximum management body of the RNCA and is composed of one representative of each Operational Centre and of each Competence Centre.
  • "RNCA Manager" is responsible for the conduct of RNCA activities being accountable to the Coordination Council.
  • The "Access Committee" is responsible for implementing access to RNCA resources. It appreciates and prioritizes proposals for use by user communities, through an access policy.
  • The "External Advisory Committee" supports the FCT and the RNCA bodies, advising them where necessary, on the strategic direction of the RNCA.
  • "RNCA Users' Forum" is the body for knowledge sharing and advice from the wider RNCA user community.

Also essential components of the RNCA are the COs and CCs:

The OCs provide the user community with advanced computing services as well as the respective technical support services, with a set of minimum requirements that must be met, namely in terms of technical capacity.

The CCs guarantee the user community, in a proximity logic, functions
to support the effective and efficient application of advanced computing resources, namely technical support services, information visualisation, training, advice and support to programme development.