The CAREN project has established a high-capacity regional research and education network in Central Asia to provide the region with a gateway to global research collaboration. It has replaced the earlier mainly satellite-based connectivity established by the SILK project with a broadband internet-based network using terrestrial fibre.Funded by the EU and Central Asian NRENs, the project began on 1 January 2009 with the network going live in July 2010. CAREN currently interconnects half a million scientists and students in more than 500 universities and research centres in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, with Uzbekistan also a candidate country.
The main applications include glacier and earthquake monitoring as well as capacity building and industrial development in the field of solar cell technology.
The project is contracted until mid-June 2013 and discussions with the European Commission for a 2nd phase are underway.
The CAREN network became operational in the summer of 2010, and today connects the following NRENs:
