Newsletter 1/2026 | E-Infra

e-INFRA CZ | 01/2026
30 Mar 2026, 13:30

Dear members of the research and innovation community,

At e-INFRA CZ, we take part in many rapidly evolving areas such as AI, quantum technologies, and cybersecurity, and we observe the opportunities these developments offer for Czech science. Despite these fast advancements, we also realize that the foundations of research remain unchanged: knowledge needs to be deepened and shared, results must be properly attributed, and scientific findings must remain transparent and verifiable.

Modern, trustworthy science depends greatly on a responsible approach to managing, processing and sharing research data. It is for this reason that we, the partners of the e-INFRA CZ consortium, have taken on the leadership role in the Czech chapter of the European Open Science Cloud initiative. As such, we are in the center of development new environment for research data that will enable all Czech scientists to work more effectively with existing data, connect their work to international collaborations, and build on results produced by the broader scientific community.

Complementing this work, research data sets have recently been recognised as a standalone research output of type T – Digital Data Collection in the RIV system, which we believe to be an important step in acknowledging the value of research data in the Czech research evaluation framework.

Wishing you an enjoyable read on recent developments in managing and processing research data in Czechia.

Matej Antol
Principal Manager IPs EOSC-CZ

CESNET celebrates 30 years of infrastructure for science

CESNET has marked 30 years since its founding by Czech universities and the Academy of Sciences. What started as an academic initiative has grown into a key infrastructure providing networking, computing and data services for research and education in the Czech Republic. Congratulations!

MetaCentrum infrastructure expansion

The MetaCentrum computing grid has strengthened its capacity through the integration of new clusters operated by CESNET and the University of West Bohemia. The expansion brings increased CPU and GPU performance as well as a specialized high-memory node designed for demanding computational workloads.

A researcher’s digital ID: Why ORCID iD is on the rise

As the volume of scientific outputs grows, so does the need to reliably identify and connect this information across systems, which persistent identifiers address by uniquely linking researchers, institutions, and outputs; one of them is ORCID iD, which is gaining traction in the e-INFRA CZ environment, where more than 530 users have already linked it to their accounts.

CERIT-SC at Containers in Practice 2026

At the Containers in Practice 2026 conference, CERIT-SC’s demonstrated its leadership in advanced container technologies. In Brno, LLMs already run in production within the Czech research infrastructure, with controlled access and scaling tailored to research needs.

Quantum security tested on a 100 Gb/s link

A test on an operational link between the CESNET TLH laboratory and Prague’s DC Tower confirmed that a combination of quantum key distribution and post-quantum cryptography can secure high-speed data transmission even on a 100 Gb/s connection.

Analysing risks in energy and communication infrastructures

A new system developed by researchers from IT4I enables more precise analysis of risks related to outages in energy and communication networks. Using the Barbora and Karolina supercomputers, long-term network operations can be simulated to identify critical infrastructure points.

Protecting academic networks in practice (CZ)

Publicly known cybersecurity incidents represent only a small fraction of what actually happens in digital infrastructure. In an interview for Lupa.cz, CESNET experts explain how academic networks are protected in practice and what threats they face today.

Claude Code in Jupyter Notebooks

The new tool works as an AI assistant directly within the Jupyter Notebook environment. It helps with debugging code, navigating projects, and working with files, making everyday programming significantly easier.

Explore e-INFRA CZ services in one place

The docs.e-infra.cz portal brings together documentation for all e-INFRA CZ services in one place. It helps users find guides for computing services, data storage, Galaxy workflows and AI-based tools, supporting use of the infrastructure across different research needs.

Link your e-INFRA CZ account to ORCID iD

Connecting your account helps better track how the infrastructure contributes to research results and outputs. It also enables more efficient automated reporting and supports a more accurate evaluation of the impact and use of e-INFRA CZ services.

Link your account

usegalaxy.cz: Workflows with LLM Integration

The usegalaxy.cz platform enables the integration of LLMs with traditional analytical tools. Check out our latest demonstration where we batch-classify images and use an AI – channelling its inner Sherlock Holmes – to analyse the results more efficiently and accurately.

Open Access Grant Competition of IT4Innovations

Institutions can apply for computational resources on the supercomputers operated by IT4Innovations for non-commercial purposes through open access grant competitions. The next round of the open grant call is open until 1 April 2026.

Discover open call

Wed 1 Apr

State of Research Data Management in the Czech Republic

How does the Czech research community work with research data and what challenges does it face? The first national survey conducted by the EOSC CZ initiative in collaboration with the Institute of Sociology of the Czech Academy of Sciences provides the answers. Based on input from more than 1,000 principal investigators across disciplines, it presents key findings on data practices, identified needs and barriers, and their relevance for the development of the National Data Infrastructure.

Mon 18 – Thu 21 May

High Performance Computing in Science and Engineering 2026

We invite you to the HPCSE 2026 conference, organised by IT4Innovations. The conference will take place in the Beskydy Mountains at the Horský hotel Soláň.

The aim of the conference is to bring together international experts in Applied Mathematics, High Performance Computing, High Performance Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Technologies, and Advanced Visualisation to exchange ideas, share experience, and foster new research collaborations.

Tue 19 May – Wed 10 Jun

Forensic Training, I and II: Prepare for Incident Analysis in Practice (CZ)

We invite you to attend our practical training courses, Forensic Training I and II, focused on IT forensic analysis. You can look forward to working in a computer lab, real-life scenarios, and a combination of methodological explanations and hands-on exercises led by experienced instructors. The first part focuses on the basic principles of forensic analysis and working with storage media, while the follow-up training focuses on network traffic analysis. If you want to be prepared for an incident before it happens, now is the right time to sign up.

Tue 27 – Thu 29 Oct

PIDfest 2026

The call for proposals for PIDfest 2026 is now open. Autumn conference will take place in Leiden, the Netherlands. The programme will focus on connecting knowledge across the PID ecosystem, strengthening collaboration between communities, and supporting the long-term sustainability of persistent identifiers through talks, panel discussions, and workshops.

Don't forget to include the required acknowledgment phrase in your publications:

This work was supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic through the e-INFRA CZ (ID:90254).

You can find the assignment of e-INFRA CZ to R&D results supported by this research infrastructure on the e-INFRA CZ website.

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