Day 3: RENs are engines of innovation in the United States
The national community of Research and Education Networks, or RENs, play a vital role in state broadband landscapes. MCNC is one of more than 40 of them located across the country.
RENs are high-speed, data-communications networks that are independent of the commercial internet and dedicated to meeting the more demanding needs of the academic and research communities. RENs work together to collectively advance common public service missions and are vastly different than ISPs who connect homes and neighborhoods. Research and education infrastructure is a critical component to every state’s broadband plan and complements our nation’s continuous efforts to provide a high-speed technology foundation for inclusion, innovation, discovery, and global competitiveness. Learn more about RENs.
MCNC and The Quilt
MCNC is one of the largest and oldest RENs in the United States and is a founding member of The Quilt, which is national coalition of RENs currently representing 43 networks nationwide.
Just like the various fabric patches of a quilt highlight different colors, patterns and textures, each REN reflects the diversity and the unique qualities found in different parts of the country and the different institutions that particular network serves. Yet all regional patches must be stitched together seamlessly, coherently and interoperably to serve a larger purpose and community. Members of The Quilt provide high-speed connectivity, advanced network services and applications to more than 900 universities and thousands of other educational and community anchor institutions. Through the collaborative forum of The Quilt, member organizations have access to a broader set of expertise and knowledge than any single organization working on its own.
MCNC President and CEO Tracy Doaks currently serves on The Quilt’s Executive Committee and is past chair of The Quilt’s CEO Roundtable. MCNC also annually contributes to The Quilt Circle magazine that comes out every spring. Click here to view this year’s issue as well as archived issues.
Innovation, Collaboration and the WildWEST
Millions of people in North Carolina, including the vast majority of K-20 students together with educators, researchers and individuals at other vital public-serving institutions, rely on MCNC to connect with each other and the world. When organizations choose to work with a REN, they are not just choosing an ISP; they are choosing to be a part of a much broader community that brings massive value and savings to customers.
RENs like MCNC are designed to move huge amounts of data quickly, reliably and securely; to accelerate scientific discovery in order to solves the big issues facing our world. They work together in a way that commercial providers cannot and play a huge role in diminishing the gaps between the haves and have-nots. A great example of this type of work was announced in September when the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) received a $5 million grant for the WildWEST (Wild-area-networks Wireless Enabling Science Team) project, an innovative collaboration with other members of The Quilt aimed at improving the way we study and understand the environment in the western United States. “This grant recognizes the many innovative approaches that members of The Quilt take to address complex challenges in order to advance the frontiers of knowledge and empower future generations,” said Jen Leasure, president and CEO of The Quilt.
This is just one of many collaborations that RENs do each and every day.
New Maps and Website in 2024
The Quilt updated their website over the summer and also updated the maps of RENs nationally as well as segmented regional areas. Access these maps here. Visually, these maps paint an incredible picture of how RENs traverse and interconnect throughout the United States. The new maps for the first time also include Tribal areas as well as HBCUs and the Internet2 Overlay footprint.
RENs as BEAD Partners
RENs have valuable roles to play as neutral, trusted advisors to the work of state broadband offices across the country. Because of their public-service missions and decades of experience in designing, engineering, operating and consulting on network infrastructure and technologies, the people who operate these community anchor networks are invaluable advisors and resources to state broadband offices and help support state goals of broadband equity, access, and deployment as well as digital inclusion. Click here to see a few areas where RENs can help state broadband planners.
Digital Inclusion Leadership Certificate
To address the urgent demand for expertise in closing the digital divide, the Digital Inclusion Leadership Certificate was created this year to help equip individuals with the necessary skills in technology and policy in order to meet the demands of this growing field. In collaboration with Arizona State University, The Marconi Society and Merit Network, The Quilt now offers a new online course in 2025 for its members and their digital inclusion collaborators to shape the field of digital equity and help build expertise in the profession.
Cyberinfrastructure for the Future
RENs play an important role in the future of research and education as data generation and consumption continue to grow exponentially. They are critical cyberinfrastructure for the advancement of knowledge and the development of innovative solutions to global challenges. These networks allow researchers, teachers and students to share digital information in a reliable and timely fashion while avoiding the congestion, delays, interruptions, and limitations of public internet services. And, they have dedicated capacity and end-to-end support for high-bandwidth applications.
MCNC is proud to be a member of The Quilt and to continue working with all the incredible RENs across the country. Only by working together are we able to advance our public service missions.
