The National Science Foundation has awarded TREN funding under the Campus Cyberinfrastructure (CC*) program to develop a comprehensive strategy for Tennessee’s first dedicated research and education network.
The award, led by Tennessee Technological University in partnership with Middle Tennessee State University, Tennessee State University, and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, addresses a critical gap: despite 83 institutions of higher education in the state — including six research universities and Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Tennessee has never had a dedicated statewide research network.
TREN will develop a regional cyberinfrastructure plan that connects these institutions to each other and to the national research infrastructure via Internet2, enabling research collaboration, supporting education and healthcare, and positioning Tennessee competitively for future federal research investment.
This project is supported by the National Science Foundation under Award #2430341.