Project access Tier-1

Project application

Researchers at universities, the Flemish SOCs, and the Flemish public knowledge institutions can apply for Tier-1 compute time. The designated way to get access to Tier-1 for research purposes is through a project application. Applicants do not have to pay a contribution to the cost of computing time and storage.

The proposal should include a realistic estimate of the computing time needed in the project in your application. These estimations have to be substantiated by Tier-1 benchmarks. To be able to perform these tests for new codes, you can request a starting grant through a short and quick procedure.

You can submit proposals continuously, but they will be gathered and evaluated and resources allocated at a number of cut-off dates. There are 3 cut-off dates in 2024:

• February 5, 2024

• June 3, 2024

• October 7, 2024

Proposals submitted since the last cut-off and before these dates are reviewed together.

The evaluation commission is responsible for the review of the applications. Because of the international composition of the evaluation commission, the language for the proposals is English. Please have a look at the definitions of standard terms like CPU, core, node-hour, memory, and storage, and use these consistently in your proposal.


The adjusted Regulations for 2024 can be found in the links below.

• Reglement Betreffende Aanvragen Voor Het Gebruik Van Het Vlaamse Tier-1 Supercomputing Platform (Dutch, applicable as of 1 January 2024) (PDF, 191 KB)

• Regulations Governing Applications For Use of the Flemish Tier-1 Supercomputing Platform (English, applicable as of 1 January 2024) (PDF, 174 KB)

• Enclosure 1: The application form for 2024 (docx, 98 kB)

• An overview of standard terms used in HPC

• The list of scientific domains

• Submission is done via EasyChair

 

If you need help filling out the application, please consult your local support team

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Tier-1 Compute Starting grant

We offer you the opportunity of a free trial of the Tier-1 to prepare a future regular Tier-1 project application. You can test if your software runs well on Tier-1 and do the scalability tests that are required for a project application.

If you want to check if buying compute time on our infrastructure is an option, we offer a very similar free program for a test ride.

Characteristics of a Starting Grant ​

• The maximum amount is 500 k core hours and 1000 GPU hours.

• The maximum allowed period to use the compute time is 8 months.

• Requests can be done at any time, there are no cut-off days.

• The use of this compute time is free of charge.

Procedure to apply and grant the request ​

1. Download the application form for a starting grant version 2024.

2. Send the completed application by e-mail to the Tier-1 contact address (compute@vscentrum.be), with your local VSC coordinator in cc.

3. The request will be judged for its validity by the Tier-1 coordinator.

4. After approval, the Tier-1 coordinator will give you access and compute time.

5. If not approved, you will get an answer with a motivation for the decision.

6. The granted requests are published on the VSC website. Therefore, you need to provide a short abstract in the application. ​

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Tier-1 Compute Collaborative grant

We offer consortiums of research groups the opportunity to apply for a Collaborative Grant. This grant is aimed to stimulate collaboration between research groups in different research institutions. Characteristics of a Collaborative Grant ​

• A Collaborative Grant is awarded for a maximum capacity of 10 M core hours and/or 75 k GPU hours.

• The maximum period for use of the allocated computing time is twelve months.

• A Collaborative Grant can only be applied for by a consortium of at least three research groups from different Public Research Institutions with a clearly defined common research topic.

• Collaborative Grant applications can be submitted on a rolling basis.

Procedure to apply and grant the request
 

1. Download the application form for a collaborative grant, version 2024.

2. Send the completed application by e-mail to the Tier-1 contact address (compute@vscentrum.be), with your local VSC coordinator in cc.

3. This Application shall in particular clarify why it is crucial for the consortium to apply for a Collaborative Grant and the proposed common research work cannot be carried out via one or more regular Applications.

4. The application is assessed for validity by the VSC operational team.

5. After approval, the operational manager of the respective Tier-1 compute partition grants access and computing time to the Researcher.

6. If the application is not approved, an answer with the justification of the decision is sent to the Applicant.

7. The granted requests are published on the VSC website and in the annual report. Therefore, you need to provide a short abstract in the application.