The first pan-European study programme focused purely on High- Performance Computing (HPC) is being established in Europe. IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center, which is part of VSB - Technical University of Ostrava, is also a member of the consortium that will offer its courses to students from autumn 2022. Future students will find excellent career opportunities in rapidly expanding fields such as HPC, High-Performance Data Analysis (HPDA), and Artificial Intelligence.
Following the EuroHPC-2020-03 call for project proposals, the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking has selected a consortium of European partners led by the University of Luxembourg to design and implement the first pan-European High-Performance Computing pilot master's programme. With a total budget of EUR 7 million, the consortium, consisting of European universities, research and supercomputing centres, and industrial partners, will create a higher education programme to provide education in the use, development, and operation of current and future generation supercomputers. Indeed, well-educated HPC professionals, such as HPC administrators and architects, HPC experts in data science and artificial intelligence, and HPC application developers, play a key role in Europe's digital transformation, which relies on highly talented and skilled professionals.
The curriculum of the pilot HPC master's programme will be designed in a modular structure to allow the modules to be integrated as quickly as possible, fully or partially, into new or existing master’s programmes. The curriculum will contribute to the networking between European universities, research institutes, and the private sector through its design and the substantial support for mobility. As a result, the new study will reach target groups in both academia and industry and will serve key actors in the private and public sectors.
Anders Dam Jensen, Executive Director of the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, says: "Thanks to this Master’s programme, we will train the next generation of HPC experts in Europe. EuroHPC Joint Undertaking is building a world-class supercomputer infrastructure. Ensuring the availability of a high-skilled workforce to operate, use, and further develop these machines and their applications is perhaps the most sustainable investment in HPC. I am delighted that we can start working with the University of Luxembourg, as well as this consortium of European partners, to further HPC skills in Europe."
Pascal Bouvry, Professor of Computer Science and Head of HPC Infrastructure at the University of Luxembourg says: “The consortium members are proud and excited to have been chosen to develop this pilot Master’s programme. We will now work with great commitment and energy to implement our proposal that aims to offer first courses in September 2022, and provide added value to society and to students. It is a strategic investment that will support the development of a world-class HPC ecosystem in Europe.”
Tomáš Kozubek, Scientific Director of the National Supercomputing Center, comments on IT4Innovations' involvement in the international project: "I am delighted that we can be part of something as extraordinary as the design and subsequent pilot implementation of this pan-European master's programme, which will prepare future experts for promising work in the use and development of supercomputing technologies. We are happy to contribute our experience gained through the many training and educational activities that IT4Innovations offers to students and researchers not only from all over the country but also from Europe."
About the project
Led by the University of Luxembourg, the consortium consists of universities, research and supercomputing centres, industrial partners, and other collaborating institutions.
Master's degree programmes will be launched at eight European universities: the University of Luxembourg, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Politecnico di Milano, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Sorbonne Université, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, Università della Svizzera Italiana and Kungliga Tekniska Hoegskolan. It is envisaged that the list of participating universities and institutions will be expanded in the future. The full list of consortium members is included in the annex.
The consortium was selected following the EuroHPC-2020-03 "Training and Education in HPC" call for proposals. The call was launched in March 2021 as the last call of the EuroHPC European Research and Innovation Joint Undertaking under the 2014-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework.
The main objective of the call was to design and implement at least one pilot project for a pan-European master's programme in HPC. This activity is part of the broader strategy of the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking to support the development of key skills and education and training in HPC for the needs of European science and industry.
About the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking
The EuroHPC Joint Undertaking was established by Council Regulation (EU) 2018/1488 in 2018. Currently, 29 European countries are participating in this initiative, pooling their resources with the EU and private partners to make the EU a world leader in High Performance Computing (HPC).
The mission of the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking is to develop, deploy, expand, and maintain a world-class integrated supercomputing and data infrastructure within the EU and to develop and support a highly competitive and innovative HPC ecosystem.
For more information, see EuroHPC JU website.