New EuroHPC JU advisory groups have elected leadership

The members of the Research and Innovation Advisory Group (RIAG) and the Infrastructure Advisory Group (INFRAG) were appointed in March 2022 and will provide independent advice to the Governing Board of the EuroHPC JU.

Research & Innovation Advisory Group (RIAG)

During their meeting on Wednesday 4th May 2022,  the recently-appointed members of the RIAG elected Jean-Philippe Nominé as their new chair for the next two years. Jean-Philippe Nominé is HPC Strategic Collaborations Manager at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA). Jean- Philippe is also member of the ETP4HPC Association Steering Board and ETP4HPC Vice Chair for Research. ET4HPC is one of the private members of the EuroHPC JU. The RIAG members also elected Thomas Lippert as their vice-chair. Thomas Lippert is director of the Jülich Supercomputing Centre.

Now that the group is officially set up, the RIAG can start performing the following tasks:

• Drawing up and regularly updating the draft multiannual strategic research and innovation agenda of the EuroHPC JU. This draft agenda identifies research and innovation priorities to support the development of an integrated HPC, quantum computing and data ecosystem in the European Union (EU).
• Providing advice on potential international cooperation activities in research and innovation.
• Issuing recommendations to promote training and education priorities for addressing key competences and the skills gap in HPC and quantum computing technologies and applications, in particular for industry.
• Organising public consultations open to all public and private stakeholders having an interest in the fields of HPC and quantum computing to inform them and collect feedback.

Infrastructure Advisory Group (INFRAG)

During their meeting on Thursday 5th May 2022, the recently-appointed members of the  INFRAG  elected Sinead Ryan as their new chair for the next two years. Sinead Ryan is physicist and professor of Theoretical High Energy Physics at Trinity College Dublin. The INFRAG members also elected Claus Axel Muller as their vice-chair. Claus Axel Müller is managing director at the Gauss Centre for Supercomputing.

Now that the group is officially set up, the INFRAG can start performing the following tasks:

• Providing advice to the Governing Board of the EuroHPC JU for the acquisition and operation of the supercomputers, drawing up and regularly updating the draft multiannual strategic agenda in relation to such acquisition but also capability building and widening activities.
• Issuing recommendations on the federation and interconnection of the EuroHPC infrastructure, taking into account, inter alia, the integration with national HPC or quantum computing infrastructures, and the architecture of the hyper-connected and federated infrastructure.
• Advising on the capability building, including the national HPC Competence Centres and widening and training activities for end-users, as well as opportunities for promoting the take-up and use of European technology solutions notably by the national HPC Competence Centres.
• Organising public consultations open to all public and private stakeholders having an interest in the field of HPC, including quantum computing, to inform them, and collect feedback.

Background

The governance of the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking is ensured by three bodies: 

• a Governing Board;
• an Executive Director;
• an Industrial and Scientific Advisory Board.

The Industrial and Scientific Advisory Board consists of the RIAG and the INFRAG and includes representatives of academia and industry as users and technology suppliers. This board provides independent advice to the Governing Board on the strategic research and innovation agenda and on the acquisition and operation of the supercomputers owned by the Joint Undertaking, the capability building and widening activities programme and the federation, connectivity and international cooperation activities programme.

Following the entry into force of the Council Regulation (EU) 2021/1173 establishing the EuroHPC JU and repealing Regulation (EU) 2018/1488, new RIAG and INFRAG members have been appointed to fulfil the updated missions of these advisory groups.

Updates on both groups are available in the EuroHPC website:

• RIAG updates
• INFRAG updates