URAN Network

General Information

Ukrainian Research and Academic Network URAN was created under decision of Ministry of Education of Ukraine and National Academy of Science of Ukraine with support of universities, institutes of Ministry of Education of Ukraine and National Academy of Science of Ukraine in accordance with Joint resolution of Presidium of NAS of Ukraine and Board of Ministry of Education of Ukraine of June 20, 1997. The main concept of the Network was approved by International Meeting «Ukrainian network for institutions of higher education and science» with participation of representatives of the Scientific department of NATO (April 24-26, 1997 Kyiv) and by an international conference the «Networks in higher education» (May 26-28, 1997, Kyiv). The project became the basis for the development of the Laws of Ukraine regarding the concept and objectives of the National Program of Informatization of Ukraine by a group of experts engaged by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. This work resulted in the inclusion of the National Program a task of creating a computer network of science, educational and culture institutions of Ukraine.

The main goal of the URAN network is to provide institutions, organizations and establishments of science, education and culture with information and networking services enabling network users to realize their professional needs and contributing to the development of the fields mentioned above. Network is used to perform increasingly diverse tasks such as providing access to information sources, rapid exchange, transmission, storage and processing of data. URAN has been designed and developed to create opportunities for conducting scientific researches, functioning of electronic libraries and virtual laboratories, distance learning, teleconferencing, distant methods of monitoring and telematics, etc.

Integrated Information Protection Systems have been created in the Data processing center of the URAN network and in the Secure Internet access node. Certificates of Compliance, registered by the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine, confirm that they ensure the protection of information from disclosure, leakage and unauthorized access in accordance with the requirements of regulatory documents on technical information protection.

The URAN Network is hierarchical: in every city of Ukraine which has a significant scientific and educational community a regional node is setting up on a base of one of the local universities or research institutions.

Duties of the base institution:

  • to maintain permanent contacts with local public authorities and academic institutions,
  • to assist in URAN regional operation,
  • to participate in elaboration of URAN development projects,
  • to form a capital for implementation of such projects at the expense of public funds, international grants, donations (including technical support and equipment), subventions or bounties from state and NGO funds etc.

The URAN Central node (Networking Operating Center) is located in Kyiv and based at The State Agency of Ukraine for Science, Innovation and Informatization. It provides external connections for the whole network and operates it as well as the regional node for Kyiv region in particular.

The base institutions of Regional nodes are the following:

  • National Technical University of Ukraine "Kyiv Polytechnic Institute"
  • International Scientific and Educational Center of Information Technologies and Systems under NASU and MESU
  • National Technical University "Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute"
  • National Mining University of Ukraine (Dnipropetrovsk)
  • Donetsk National Technical University
  • Odessa National Polytechnic University
  • Odessa National A. Popov Academy of Telecommunications
  • National University "Lvivska Politekhnika"
  • Zaporizhzhya National Technical University
  • Kovalevsky Institute of South Seas under NASU (Sevastopol)
  • Poltava University of Consumer's Co-operation of Ukraine
  • Khmelnitsky National University

The first regional nodes in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Odessa and Lviv were created during 1997-1998.

Metropolitan area fiber optic networks were built during 1997-2007 in frame of NATO infrastructure grants (NIG 971779 in 1997, NIG 975961 in 2000, NIG 978384 in 2001, NIG 981531 in 2004, NIG 983279 in 2008) and Ministry of education and science of Ukraine contractual work.

Today URAN physically unites more than 100 R&D and educational institutions (220 points of presence) and operates own optical networks in 16 Ukrainian cities 300 km long and 80 km cros-border fiber optic line Lviv - Poland.