EuroCC 2 & CoEs & CASTIEL 2 Intermediate Conference in Slovakia
Amidst the picturesque landscape of the Slovak High Tatra Mountains, the members of European National Competence Centres and Centres of Excellence met during the all-hands meeting to discuss the project development and show the progress that has been made.
The sessions started on Monday, April 22 with a warm welcome from the Project Management Team and the local hosts from NCC Slovakia. Discussions then covered recent development and information from the project first year review and then continued with identification of synergies between NCCs and CoEs, laying the groundwork for collaborative endeavors and knowledge exchange. The discussions were not just theoretical, they were practical blueprints for fostering cohesion and maximizing impact within the EuroCC 2 ecosystem.
On the second day, the focus shifted towards practical matters of funding, competencies, and strategic planning. Workshops on budget allocation with CASTIEL 2 and discussions on the competencies of NCCs and CoEs provided invaluable insights into the financial and intellectual scaffolding necessary for sustainable growth.
The conference was a testament to the diversity of the EuroCC 2 community. From thematic clusters to industry approaches and training baselines, participants delved deep into the intricacies of their respective domains, forging connections and laying the groundwork for future collaborations.
The participants also had the opportunity to stretch their legs during an excursion around the Štrbské pleso lake, fostering camaraderie and strengthening bonds beyond the confines of conference rooms.
Building International Cooperation in HPC: Visit to ITER Tenerife and Teide HPC 17 Jul - At the beginning of July 2025, Lucia Malíčková, representative of the National Supercomputing Centre (NSCC) and the National Competence Centre for High-Performance Computing (NCC for HPC), had the opportunity to visit the renowned technological and research institution ITER – Instituto Tecnológico y de Energías Renovables, S.A. on the island of Tenerife.
As part of the working visit, she met with the center’s director Carlos Suarez and Jesús Rodríguez Alamo to discuss opportunities for establishing cooperation in the field of high-performance computing (HPC), research, development, and innovation using advanced technological infrastructures.
Meeting with Michal Valko, expert on large language models 15 Jul - The National Supercomputing Centre and the National Competence Centre for HPC, represented by Lucia Malíčková, met with prominent Slovak scientist Michal Valko, who is among the world’s leading experts in artificial intelligence and machine learning. They discussed opportunities for future collaboration, with a particular focus on leveraging Slovakia’s HPC capacities to support advanced research in large language models and algorithms that require minimal human feedback.
Data, Theology and HPC: A Collaboration Seeking Paths to Understanding 8 Jul - Continuing our collaboration with the Faculty of Theology at Trnava University!
The National Supercomputing Centre (NSCC) and the National Competence Centre for HPC will continue their collaboration with the Faculty of Theology at Trnava University in 2025. Following a successful joint study that demonstrated the potential of artificial intelligence and high-performance computing in the analysis of religious texts, representatives of both institutions met again to identify new areas and opportunities for future joint projects.