Support to the International HPC Summer School

Expected Outcome:

• Sustained European participation of European early-career scientists and contributions by European tutors in the International HPC Summer School (IHPCSS) series.
• Active representation of the European HPC communities in the governance, committees and working groups of the initiative on behalf of EuroHPC JU.
• Common framework with international partners for organisation of the IHPCSS including shared planning documents defining, for example, guidelines, scope, best practices, governance and curriculum development.
• Effective financial support mechanisms covering travel and accommodation costs for the participation of early career researchers established in EuroHPC JU Participating States.
• Expansion of the European HPC community through international networking opportunities, mentorship programs and exposure to cutting-edge HPC technologies
• Geographically balanced cohort participating in the IHPCSS, with selection criteria supporting a proportional representation from all EuroHPC JU Participating States, tracked through KPIs and annual reports.

Objective:

The primary objective is European support of the organisation and implementation and of the International HPC Summer School (IHPCSS)^[1]. This includes financial support for the annual participation of up to 40 early career researchers in HPC from EuroHPC Participating States in the IHPCSS. Building on prior experience, the initiative aims to deliver high-quality, multidisciplinary training in high-performance computing and quantum technologies to graduate students pursuing a PhD and early career postdoctoral researchers. Through co-organisation with leading international partners in HPC, the action will ensure a world-class training programme, delivered by leading HPC specialists, and a balanced mix of theoretical and practical sessions. The IHPCSS also seeks to foster international collaboration, promote diversity and inclusion, and enhance the global visibility of European HPC expertise as promoted by EuroHPC JU. The action will implement structured evaluation mechanisms to continuously improve the programme and explore synergies with other global HPC training initiatives.

Scope:

The International HPC Summer School on Challenges in Computational Sciences (IHPCSS) is an annual global training event launched in 2010. It brings together top graduate students and postdoctoral researchers from all regions of the world to receive advanced training in high-performance computing (HPC) across different disciplines. Over the years, the school has grown in scale and international participation and currently involves partners from Europe, the US, Japan, Canada, Australia, the UK, and South Africa. Its core objective is to equip participants with cutting-edge HPC knowledge, foster international collaboration, and support career development through mentoring and networking with leading experts from major HPC centres.

Plan and organise at least four annual International HPC Summer Schools (IHPCSS) in the years 2026-2029 in collaboration with international partners. Proposals should clearly describe all activities implemented by the consortium and the associated resources, including:

• Select hosting locations and manage logistical arrangements together with international partners for each edition of the summer school.
• Develop and disseminate open calls for applications for European participation, ensuring broad outreach across Europe.
• Evaluate applications and select European participants in coordination with the EuroHPC JU, with a focus on a geographical intake and diversity.
• Design and coordinate the training programme, including scientific, technical, mentoring, and networking components.
• Implement mechanisms to identify and select European HPC tutors and mentors for programme delivery and support in coordination with the EuroHPC JU.
• Provide financial support for travel, accommodation, and subsistence for the selected European participants and contributors.
• Coordinate on-site activities and ensure smooth event execution during the summer schools.
• Evaluate programme outcomes and gather feedback to inform future improvements.
• Promote collaboration and inclusivity, engaging with underrepresented groups and explore synergies with other training initiatives.
• The selection of students for participation in the IHPCSS should be based on an annually open call for applications.

Proposals should clearly demonstrate prior experience in organising similar events, as well as a proven track record of successful collaboration with the relevant international partners. Proposals should clearly demonstrate that all partners in the consortium have a significant and justified role, including appropriate deliverables covering the specific contributions of each partner and in proportion to their indicative resources. The JU considers that a contribution from the JU of up to EUR 1 million and a duration of 4 years would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately.

Selection of third parties for financial support: Award criteria and evaluation procedure

The consortium is expected to describe the procedure and the criteria used to ensure appropriate organisations and projects will be selected, in agreement with the provisions of the HORIZON Europe programme. The calls must have a clear European dimension.

When launching calls for proposals for the award of financial support, the consortium members may use their own procedure provided this procedure complies with the principles of proportionality, sound financial management, equal treatment and non-discrimination.

The process should also aim at reducing administrative burden for third parties, while at the same time ensuring sound financial management. In particular, the application forms and procedures should be tailor-made and appropriate to the technical and managerial capacities of the targeted applicants and scope of the projects. Calls for proposals must remain open for at least two months.

Beneficiaries must ensure transparency with adequate publication of calls for proposals and prevent conflicts of interest throughout the entire award procedure. ^[2] They will have to clearly demonstrate this in their application and report on it throughout the project.

The consortium must set specific objectives, guidelines and acceptance criteria before payment for each supported third-party scholarship Gand ensure appropriate monitoring, quality checks and reporting with qualitative and quantitative KPIs.

The outcome of the call must be published on the participants’ websites, including information on the number of received applications, awarded grants, gender and geographical distribution.

The participation in the IHPCSS with financial support through this action is limited to applicants with their primary place of residence, employment and citizenship in a country which is a Participating State of the EuroHPC JU and not yet represented in the IHPCSS at the time when the respective call for FSTP closes.

Overall, a minimum of EUR 350 000 of the requested funds should be allocated to financial support of third parties. Financial support to one application must not exceed a total amount of EUR 5 000.

[1] https://ihpcss.org/

[2] The EuroHPC JU reserves the right to monitor and participate in the selection and allocation process of the IHPCSS, including access to all applications, committee and panel meetings, and other related documents.