Network Startup Resource Center
 | |
| Type: | non-profit |
| Industry: | Internet |
| Founded: | Late 1980s |
| Founder(s): | Randy Bush, John Klensin |
| Headquarters: | 1501 Kincaid Street University of Oregon |
| Country: | USA |
| Employees: | 51-100 |
| Email: | nsrc[at]nsrc.org |
| Website: | NSRC |
| Facebook: | NSRC |
| Twitter: |  @nsrcworld
|
| Key People | |
| Steven Huter, Director Hervey Allen, Network System Engineer | |
Network Startup Resource Center or NSRC is an organization working for the development and deployment of Internet throughout the Asia Pacific region, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, and newly Independent States. It is a part of the University of Oregon. It provides technical assistance to universities, government agencies and other organizations to expand and improve Internet access around the world. One of the center’s main goals is to develop network communications infrastructure and local engineering capacity in developing regions of the world, where inadequate connectivity poses a barrier to collaborations with U.S. scientists and educators.[1][2] They hold many worldwide meetups and conferences, which help empower local communities to create and manage their own networks, through the creation of sustainable infrastructure.[2]
NSRC gets its basic funding from National Science Foundation (NSF), and won $3.7 million from the Foundation in late 2014, which will fund it for the following five years.[1] Other donors include Carnegie Mellon, Cisco Systems, FreeBSD Mall, Google, IDRC, ISOC, O'Reilly, Richard Karp, Vint Cerf, and the University of Oregon.[3] Google has given it an amount of money through the years, including a $1.5 million contribution in 2011 and a $3.2 million contribution in 2013.[1]
History
NSRC started building Internet infrastructure in 1988 in South Africa, funded initially by an initial investment from the NSF.[1] They gradually moved on to other countries and provided network connectivity to Egypt, Indonesia, Kenya, Liberia, Morocco, Peru, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Togo, and assistance to many others. They build their centers in local universities and help people establish their own network and connect to the outside world.[4] Since its birth, NSRC has helped build the first ever network in:[5]
- Peru in 1991
- Egyptian Universities in 1993
- Africa in 1994
- Sri Lankan Engineers in 1995
- Tanzania in 1996
- Togo in 1997
In 1996, NSRC officially moved to University of Oregon. It participated in the development of AfriNIC and LACNIC. They provide funding for different Network Operator Groups throughout the world.[6] Since 1992, NSRC has provided more than $40 million of aid for the equipment and publications necessary to establish of Internet connections in more than 100 countries.[7]
Events
NSRC arranges workshops, seminars, technical training and short courses all around the world for those who are interested in networking. It collaborates with APTLD,[8] ICANN, and ISOC[9] for their meetings. In 2011, NSRC participated in ICANN meetings, ISOC INET conferences, SANOG, WALC, and PacNOG. A complete list of upcoming events can be found here. Besides this NSRC has regularly been arranging workshops and hands-on training courses of networking since 1990. All the past and future trainings provided by the center can be seen here.
Case Studies
Galapagos Island (Ecuador)
NSRC provided on-site engineering to the Charles Darwin Research Station in the Galapagos Islands, working with the Research Station to plan improvements to their internet connectivity and communications infrastructure so that visitors scientists to the remote locale could better collaborate with other scientists from around the world. They also funded training for two Ecuadorian technicians, so that they can return back to the Galapagos and lead planned network upgrades.[1]
Lower Mekong (Southeast Asia)
NSRC and National Center for Atmospheric Research, or NCAR, partnered with Pacific Rim Application and Grid Middleware Assembly (PRAGMA) and Indiana University to augment international science education through the development of network infrastructure in the Lower Mekong region of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. The organizations organized a weeklong workshop which brought together a number of SE Asian scientists working in topics like water resource management, climate change, foresty, etc. and their network staff, to work with U.S. scientists and network operators.[1]