GARR Information

GARR is the Italian national ultra-broadband network dedicated to the education and research community. Its primary aim is to provide high-performance connectivity and to develop technologically innovative services that support the daily activities of teachers, researchers and students, while fostering collaboration at an international level. The GARR network is designed and operated by the GARR Consortium, a non-profit association established under the auspices of the Ministry of University and Research. Its members include CNR, ENEA, INFN, Fondazione CRUI, INAF, INGV, the Italian state universities, the Scientific Institutes for Research, Hospitalisation and Healthcare (IRCCS), and the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institutes (IZS). GARR is a highly widespread digital infrastructure, with approximately 24,000 km of optical fibre deployed across the country. It serves more than three million users and connects around 1,000 sites, including research centres, universities, biomedical research hospitals, cultural institutions, libraries, museums and schools. The GARR network is interconnected with the international research and education networking system and with the global Internet. This means that, regardless of geographical location, every researcher can access large data repositories and digital content, use scientific computing resources, and take advantage of cloud-based applications made available by the community itself. GARR has always been an integral part of the European research network GÉANT, to which it is connected via an 800 Gbps link. Thanks to an extensive system of interconnections with other national research networks and to the interoperability of protocols and services, researchers in Italy can collaborate with partners all over the world.