[JOINT PRESS RELEASE GARR-INFN-Sardinia Region-UniCa]
Two major achievements of the TeRABIT and ETIC projects, funded by Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), presented in Cagliari
A dual inauguration took place today, July 9, at the University of Cagliari, for two major research infrastructures of great significance, not only for Sardinia but for the entire Italian academic and research community.
The result stems from a broad and collaborative planning effort among institutions, universities and research organisations, enabling optimal investment of resources, made available through the PNRR’s Mission 4 coordinated by the Ministry of University and Research, in the TeRABIT and ETIC projects, both led by the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN).
In detail, the first achievement is the completion of a 1,100-km fiber-optic ring throughout the Sardinian region, built by GARR and integrated into the national GARR-T research network, which brings ultra-high-performance connectivity across Sardinia, with an internal regional bandwidth of 1.6 Terabits per second. The infrastructure, implemented under the TeRABIT project, also provides, for the first time, four stable and high-performance 400 Gbps connections to the mainland via submarine cables, positioning Sardinia at the heart of international research networks.
The second inauguration marks the opening of the new ETIC laboratories at the Department of Physics of the University of Cagliari. These labs, born from the collaboration between the University and INFN, will focus on developing enabling technologies – particularly in optics and optoelectronics – for the future gravitational wave observatory Einstein Telescope, which Sardinia is candidate to host near the disused Sos Enattos mine in the Nuoro province.
The official presentation of these new infrastructure took place during the event “Towards Einstein Telescope: the results of TeRABIT and ETIC. From the PNRR projects, ultra-fast networks and advanced laboratories to support research and regional development”, in the presence of institutional representatives and figures from the academic and research sectors.
The day also offered a chance to reflect on the strategic role of scientific infrastructure and advanced connectivity in driving national development, strengthening Italy’s leadership on the international stage and bolstering its candidacy to host the Einstein Telescope, the future European gravitational wave observatory.
Antonio Zoccoli, INFN President
“We are extremely pleased to present today the successful results of TeRABIT and ETIC, two projects that strengthen Sardinia’s candidacy to host the Einstein Telescope, and that have connected Sardinia to Italy’s high-performance research network and equipped the local scientific community with a new cutting-edge laboratory. Both launched thanks to PNRR funding from the Ministry of University and Research, ETIC and TeRABIT show how research infrastructures are a resource, a true engine of innovation, and how investing in them fosters progress not just for science, but for society and the regions that host them”.
Francesco Mola, Rector of the University of Cagliari
“The University of Cagliari is proud to play a key role in developing the TeRABIT and ETIC research infrastructures, contributing top-level scientific, technological, and structural expertise. These projects are the result of great teamwork and reflect our University’s central role in promoting advanced research and innovation. These projects fit into a broader vision of sustainable regional development, aimed at generating new opportunities for local communities and consolidating Sardinia as a hub of scientific and technological excellence on the international stage”.
Maurizio Tira, GARR President
“The completion of the fiber interconnection in Sardinia is a long-awaited milestone. Today, the island is fully integrated into the national backbone and enjoys state-of-the-art connectivity, ensuring high performance even towards international destinations. This is a major step not only for the research community and its flagship projects, but also for universities, culture, and regional development more broadly”.
Alessandra Todde, President of the Sardinia Region
“I’m very proud of today because we’re showcasing a Sardinia that promotes research and innovation. The completion of TeRABIT and ETIC proves that the Einstein Telescope is already a transformative reality for Sardinia. The GARR-T network, in particular, marks a massive leap forward in network speed and access, which will benefit universities, schools, courts, healthcare institutions, and industrial consortia involved in research. It’s a tangible sign of the change underway”.
Marielena Motzo, Regional Councillor for General Affairs with delegation to Innovation
“It’s an honor to participate in this celebration, marking a strategic milestone for Sardinia. The Department of General Affairs with delegation to Innovation, which I represent, actively contributed to drafting the agreement with GARR Consortium. This agreement enables the scientific community to to network with the rest of the world in a collaborative environment and at very high speed, generating a momentous impact. It’s a truly transformative infrastructure that provides the entire island with remarkable potential to support research, innovation, and business competitiveness. Research and innovation are the key pillars of future growth and development, offering new tools for companies and helping foster new startups, with a perspective of economic and social growth of our island, which thus places itself in a vanguard position”.
Event gallery: https://gbox.garr.it/garrbox/s/gTu3WKBVaq5K9WlEvent Photos
Further information
TeRABIT
TeRABIT is a research infrastructure, funded with €41 million by the PNRR under Mission 4 (Education and Research), coordinated by the Ministry of University and Research. Its goal is to provide an advanced digital platform integrating a terabit-level ultra-fast network with high-performance computing (HPC) and distributed computing resources for the entire scientific community.
Through this hyperfast infrastructure, researchers can access HPC resources from anywhere.
The project enhances and connects three key national strategic research infrastructures: the GARR-T national research network, the PRACE-Italy HPC node hosted by OGS at CINECA, and INFN’s distributed HPC-BD-AI cloud service system.
The project is led by INFN, with partners OGS, CINECA and GARR.
Website: www.terabit-project.it
ETIC
The ETIC project, funded with €50 million by the PNRR under Mission 4 (Education and Research), coordinated by the Ministry of University and Research, involves 14 Italian universities and research institutions, led by INFN. Launched in 2023, the project supports Italy’s candidacy to host the next-generation Einstein Telescope gravitational wave observatory, one of the most ambitious and strategic research infrastructures in Europe, backed by the ESFRI roadmap (European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures).
ETIC focuses on feasibility studies and site characterisation for ET proposed location, the area around the disused Sos Enattos mine in Nuoro, as well as the creation of a network of research labs across universities and participating institutions to develop the technologies the new gravitational observatory will require.
Website: www.einstein-telescope.it
