Further Information - Paderborn Center for Parallel Computing (PC2)

Formal Regulations

Terms of Use
Datenschutzerklärung (in German, Privacy Policy)
- Old version 1.1 from 27. June 2019
- Old version 1.0 from 17. January 2019
This Acknowledgement Statement has to be included in all publications that used PC² systems, resources or support services

Frequently asked questions

How do I get a user account at PC2?

Members of the Paderborn University have to use their IMT account.
Scientists without an IMT account have to apply for an account here: PC2-JARDS.

Which academic level/title is required for a principal investigator (PI)?

The PI needs to be a Professor or the PI needs to have a doctor's degree (Ph.D., Dr.).

How many small projects can a PI have?

A PI can have multiple small projects but the sum of the granted resources must not exceed the limits for a small project.

Can the resources of a project be increased after it has been granted?

Yes but different rules apply depending on the project category. Please contact pc2-support@uni-paderborn.de.

Can a project deadline be extended?

Yes, an extention is possible. There are two different rules depending on the extention length

up to 3 month: write a short Email to pc2-support@uni-paderborn.de with the reason for an extention and the required extention length
more than 3 month: extentions of more than 3 month require a new application through our Online project application system (PC²-JARDS)

Can projects run for more than one year (multi-year projects)?

NHR-Starter: no
Small projects: yes by applying for extensions
NHR-Normal and NHR-Large projects: mutiyear projects are possible, i.e., only one application/proposal required

What if I don't want to actually apply for compute resources but need the commitment of the availability of compute resources for another research project proposal?

Please contact us via pc2-support@uni-paderborn.de. We can for example write a letter of support or letter of intent that you can submit with your research project proposal.

How to get support?

Please visit our Support and Consulting page.

How do I have to submit a project report?

The general rule is that a final report has to be submitted at most 30 days after the end of the project to pc2-support@uni-paderborn.de as stated in the Terms of Use.
Templates for a detailed final report can be found here.
Exceptions exist for projects in the small category:
- Small projects that didn't apply for an extension or an extension was not granted:
  - provide detailed report at most 30 days after end of project (see template below) to pc2-support@uni-paderborn.de
- Small projects that applied for an extension and the new project was granted:
  - list all publications and theses (Bachelor/Master/PhD) that used the compute project in the proposal for the extension
depending on special reporting needs of PC² (research report of PC²) we might request detailed reports
The resource allocation board (RAB) can grant exceptions for projects with a low resource usage upon request. Please direct this request to pc2-support@uni-paderborn.de.

Resource Access Eligibility Rules

The conditions for accessing our HPC systems are mandated by the grant agreement rules of the funding agency as well as federal law, state law, and university regulations. The eligibility of the applicant is checked as part of the computing time proposal reviewing process.

The most important rules are summarized below.

Our HPC systems shall be primarily used for quality controlled i.e. peer-reviewed research. Use for teaching purposes is also permissible but the amount of resources that can be requested is substantially lower.
Our computing infrastructure is publicly funded and can therefore only be used for research that makes the results available to the general public.
1. Foundational research funded by DFG or ERC is generally eligible to be executed on our HPC systems.
2. Collaborative research between academic and industrial partners, e.g. funded by BMBF, BMWi, European Commissions typically also qualifies for being executed on our HPC systems, if the results are public.
3. Contract research where results are confidential is typically not eligible to be executed on our systems.
The institution association of the principal investigator of a computing time proposal determines which computer systems can be used:
1. Members of Paderborn University can use our Tier 3 HPC systems (currently Noctua 1) for small research projects and education as well as a part of our Tier 2 system (currently Noctua 2) for large research projects free of charge.
2. Members from universities in NRW that do not operate HPC systems can use our Tier 3 HPC systems (currently Noctua 1) for small research projects and education free of charge.
3. Members from universities in NRW can use our Tier 3 HPC systems (currently Noctua 1) also for large research projects and education free of charge.
4. Scientists at any universities in Germany can apply for access for our Tier 2 HPC systems (currently Noctua 2). The use is free of charge and these applications are evaluated using the review process explained above.
5. Scientists of research and teaching institutions worldwide can be granted access to selected HPC systems in the context of a research collaboration with PC2, e.g., for evaluating novel hard and software technologies. Interested parties are advised to send an informal inquiry to pc2-support@uni-paderborn.de before submitting a formal application to discuss the possibilities.
Citizens of countries that are subject to the export control policy of the German Federal Government may need additional authorization from the German Federal Office Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA) before they are allowed to use our HPC systems.