Getting Access#

Researchers based in VUB or UZ Brussel can have access to the shared HPC resources in the Vlaams Supercomputer Centrum (VSC).

Vlaams Supercomputer Centrum#

Access to the HPC infrastructure in the VSC network requires having a VSC account. All researchers in VUB and UZB can request their VSC account for free and get access to Hydra and all other clusters in the VSC network.

Getting a VSC account#

Staff and PhD Students

VUB and UZB staff, including PhD students, will get automatic approval of their VSC account. Follow the instructions in VSCdocGetting Access to request it.

Non-PhD Students

Non-PhD students may get access to the HPC cluster, subject to the specific conditions detailed below. Their VSC account must be requested by their Professor or Promoter by filling out the VSC account request form. Note that this form is not accessible to students.

Courses

Students can use the HPC cluster if required for practical courses.

Bachelor or Master Thesis

Students working towards a Bachelor or Master thesis can use the HPC cluster for their research.

Tier-1#

Access to the VSC Tier-1 infrastructure is free for researchers, but has additional requirements. Researchers have to submit a project application including the following elements:

  • purpose and use of computational resources

  • scaling benchmarks

  • detailed job workflow

A scientific and technical committee in VSC meets 3 times per year to evaluate all proposals. Only those that fulfill the required criteria and that can be allocated in the cluster are granted.

Testing your workflow and performing the scaling benchmarks on the tier-1 infrastructure should be done in advance to your project application.

In short, the 3 steps to apply for a Tier-1 project are:

  • fill out the Tier-1 starting grant application form (the application is relatively short and you will quickly get some credits for testing)

  • perform benchmark calculations on the Tier1 cluster

  • fill out the Tier-1 project application form

Follow the instructions on the VSCwebProject access Tier-1 website to obtain both your starting grant and project application for Tier-1.

Helpdesk We highly recommend sending your application draft to us in advance of the deadline. We can evaluate and provide feedback to improve your Tier-1 project proposal.

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