SC26 Network Research Exhibitions (NRE) – Call for Participation

We are excited to look ahead to SC26 in Chicago, IL, and the time has arrived to submit proposals for the Network Research Exhibition (NRE) program.

The NRE represents the experimental research frontier of SCinet, providing a production-scale, high-performance networking environment to support advanced demonstrations in networking, distributed systems, data-intensive science, HPC, and AI. Researchers and professionals from academia, government, laboratories, and industry are invited to propose experiments and demonstrations that leverage SCinet’s world-class infrastructure during the SC Conference.

Researchers and professionals from government, academia, research institutions, and industry are invited to propose demonstrations and experiments that leverage SCinet’s world-class infrastructure during the SuperComputing Conference.

SC26 Focus Areas

For SC26, the SCinet team aims to make research and experimentation more impactful and locally connected. With Chicago as our host city, we encourage proposals that engage with themes relevant to the region and its communities, including:

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FinTech innovations, such as high-frequency trading, real-time analytics, and ultra–low-latency networking, by examining the performance and scale required for these data-intensive workloads -

Quantum computing and quantum networking demonstrations -

Healthcare and biomedical research applications, with emphasis on data-intensive cancer research -

Community-engaged research leveraging advanced networking infrastructure

We invite researchers to utilize the SCinet network and cluster environment to showcase forward-looking technologies and transformative research workflows.

Core High-Performance Networking Themes

At the same time, we remain committed to SCinet’s foundational mission. Proposals demonstrating:

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Emerging network hardware and architectures -

Advanced protocols and transport mechanisms -

Network-intensive scientific workflows -

High-performance networking innovations -

HPC- and AI-driven distributed applications

are strongly encouraged.

Engage With the NRE Team

The NRE team is available for one-on-one consultations to help refine ideas and determine infrastructure feasibility. If you are unsure whether your research could benefit from what is arguably the fastest temporary network infrastructure in the world, we encourage you to reach out and schedule a session: nre@scinet.supercomputing.org nre@scinet.supercomputing.org

For additional details, visit the NRE information page:

https://sc26.supercomputing.org/scinet/network-research-exhibition/

We look forward to collaborating with you and showcasing groundbreaking research at SC26.

NRE Proposal Submissions

Pre-staging: Preliminary Network Requirements

*It is critical to provide early input to SCinet in terms of WAN bandwidth requests*. Significant lead times are required to work with service providers and equipment vendors to plan, build, and validate WAN circuits. Early input is key to ensuring that the network can meet the needs of NRE applicants.

Please indicate on the Network Resource Form your connectivity needs so we can understand whether this initiative will benefit NRE participants.

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Submission format: On-line form -

Submission location: https://submissions.supercomputing.org/ -

Submission deadline: April 15th, 2026

Stage 1: Preliminary Abstract

A one-page document outlining the high-level goals and activities related to the proposal is required to start the process. Only a single experiment should be included. Additional experiments should be outlined in separate documents. Please include details on networking needs such as end points/sources and network connection requirements. Note that, just like in 2025, this year submissions will be captured in the SC submission system. You may need to create an account.

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Submission format: Download Template: https://bit.ly/sc26nre_template -

Submission location: https://submissions.supercomputing.org/ -

Submission deadline: April 30th, 2026

Stage 2: Refined Network Requirements

Please provide additional documentation outlining the final network requirements for the planned exhibition including sources (city, state, country of origin), bandwidth needs, VLAN requirements, and destination booth drops. WAN bandwidth requests that differ significantly from those outlined in the Preliminary WAN Requirements and/or resources section of the Preliminary Abstract may not be able to be fulfilled.

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Submission format: Any relevant submission style will be accepted. -

Submission location: https://submissions.supercomputing.org/ -

Submission deadline: April 30th, 2026

Stage 3: Final Publishable Proposal

A two- to three-page submission with all relevant details of the activities, drawings, impact, and other research details, will also be required. This document will be published on the public SCinet NRE webpages.

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Submission format: Updated Preliminary Abstract format with final details and any changes from the Preliminary Abstract. -

Download Template: https://bit.ly/sc26nre_template -

Submission location: https://submissions.supercomputing.org/ -

Submission deadline: October 23rd, 2026

Stage 4: Research Results and Findings

Lastly, the submission of findings and results of the demonstration will complete the process.

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Submission format: Same as the Final Publishable Submission -

Submission location: https://submissions.supercomputing.org/ -

Submission deadline: January 22nd, 2027

As a reminder, it is critical to adhere to the above deadlines to ensure a successful SCinet demo.

** Booth information **

The NRE must be presented or demonstrated on the show floor, therefore you must be associated with an SC26 booth. SC provides a theater setting where research presentations are scheduled.

Booth connections can be requested via the Connection Request System

https://scinet.supercomputing.org/crs/

Accepted NRE participants will receive a 100% discount on network services to support the research activities.

Please note: SCinet does not pay costs associated with the booth: this includes the space, furnishing, shipment of equipment, or the power required to operate technology equipment at booths. The booth owner / researcher MUST pay for all of these costs to participate

The NRE team will confirm receipt of submission documents and will start the review process. We will be in contact with the involved parties throughout the process.

We look forward to receiving your NRE Preliminary Abstract on or before April 30th, 2026. If you have questions prior to then, please contact us here: nre@scinet.supercomputing.org

NRE FAQ

1.

Can you submit a proposal outside of network research?

Proposals are open to more than just networking research. Proposals are not limited to networking research. Demonstrations in other domains are welcome provided that high-performance networking and/or HPC resources are central to the research workflow.

2.

Can you submit one proposal for multiple experiments?

No, each experiment / demonstration must be submitted individually.

3.

Does SCinet pay for costs associated with an SC26 booth (e.g., space, furnishings, shipment of equipment, or power)?

No, these costs are the sole responsibility of the booth owner

4.

Does SCinet pay for your NRE booth connection?

Yes. SCinet provides a 100% discount on network connectivity services supporting accepted NRE demonstrations, subject to resource availability.

5.

Do presentations / demonstrations have to be in person / at a booth?

Yes, generally a demo representative must be available at a booth for the duration of the SC26 show to perform/explain the demonstration and be available to answer questions from attendees. We also encourage researchers to present their work at the SC Theater.

6.

What is the preferred format for submissions?

PDF is the preferred format.

Want to know more about NRE? Check our slides: https://bit.ly/sc26_nre_slides

Kind Regards,

SC26 NRE Team