Our Structure and Boards
The National High-Performance Computing Association is a consortium of nine federally and state-funded Tier 2 university computing centers
Our Structure
The NHR Alliance consists of the NHR Association and its members, the nine NHR centers. Operationally, the association is led by the NHR Board and two main committees, the operators committee (Betreiberausschuss) and the allocation committee (Nutzungsausschuss). Two independent committees steer the NHR-Alliance and connect it with funding entities: The Scientific Advisory Board and the Strategy Committee. The NHR Office supports the association, its bodies and all committees.
NHR Association (NHR-Verein e. V.)
The members of the NHR Association are the legal entities responsible for the NHR centers. The members are committed to the purpose of the statutes and are dedicated to implementing them.
The NHR Association was founded on August 23, 2021 by the legal sponsors of the NHR Centers, the universities. The association bundles and coordinates the joint activities of the NHR Centers. It is based in Berlin, Germany.
The rules and structures of the association and its activities are defined in its statutes.
NHR Executive Board (Vorstand)
The NHR Board manages the association's affairs. It is responsible for the strategic and substantive management and coordination of the association's activities relating to national high-performance computing on the basis of the decisions and deliberations of the General Assembly and the association's standing committees.
NHR Operators Committee (Betreiberausschuss)
The NHR’s operators committee coordinates the technical and operational development of the NHR Centers, scientific consultation services for researchers and educational offers for NHR staff. Central procurement of new mainframe computers and other critical investments are also coordinated. Members are the heads of the nine NHR Centers.
NHR Allocation Committee (Nutzungsausschuss)
As the allocation committee of the NHR Alliance, the Nutzungsausschuss (NA), ensures a fair, science-led process in the allocation of computing time and acts independently from the Betreiberausschuss and the NHR Board. It also monitors the computing resources available in the Alliance. The NA consists of nine members. Within the NA, NHR has pooled the widest possible qualifications and expertise.
Scientific Advisory Board (Wissenschaftlicher Beirat)
The Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) is an external body of the NHR Alliance. The SAB has the task of providing independent and strategic advice to the NHR Alliance with reference to international developments in the HPC sector.
Strategy Committee (Strategieausschuss)
The Strategy Committee was established in 2019 by the Joint Science Conference (GWK) as an autonomous and independent body. The Strategy Committee is responsible for evaluating the NHR Centres and gives recommendations to the GWK on NHR matters, including the procedures and financing of the NHR Alliance.
The Strategy Committee provides recommendations to the GWK on:
- the medium-term planning of structures, procedures and financing for national high-performance computing,
- the evaluation and continued funding of NHR Centres,
- the further development of national HPC landscape and the selection of future NHR Centres,
- the Criteria for the application and selection process for access to NHR Centres,
- the overall economic planning of the NHR Alliance.
The Strategy Committee comprises:
- academic members proposed by the DFG and the WR, with the Scientific Committee being chaired by one of these members, and
- representatives of the federal government and the federal states, including at least five representatives from the host states of NHR Centres.
