CINECA is a non profit consortium, made up of 50 Italian universities, two National Research Centers, and the Ministry of University and Research (MiUR), and was established in 1969 in Casalecchio di Reno, Bologna.
It is the most powerful supercomputing centre in Italy, as stated in the Top500list of the most powerful supercomputers in the world.
The Consortium's institutional mission is to support the Italian scientific community through supercomputing and Scientific visualisation tools. CINECA's personnel (comprising over 350 people) cooperate with researchers in both the academic and industrial fields.
Since the end of the 1980s, CINECA has broadened the scope of its mission by embracing other IT sectors, developing management and administrative services for universities and designing ICT systems for the exchange of information between the Ministry of University and Research and the Italian national academic system. The Consortium is also strongly committed to transfer technology to many categories of users, from the Public Administration to private enterprises.
CINECA takes part in several research projects funded by the European Union for the promotion and development of IT technologies (Grid computing, bioinformatic, digital content, the promotion of transnational access to European supercomputing centres, etc.).
University of Bari, Politecnico di Bari, University of Basilicata, University of Bergamo, University of Bologna, University of Brescia, University of Calabria, University of Camerino, University of Cassino, University of Catania, University of Chieti, Kore University, University of Ferrara, University of Florence, University of Genoa, University of Insubria, University of l'Aquila, University of Macerata, Mediterranea of Reggio Calabria, University of Messina, University of Milan Bicocca, Politecnico di Milano, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, University of Molise, University of Padua, University of Naples, Second University of Naples, University Parthenope of Naples, University of Parma, University of Pavia, Perugia, University for Foreigners Perugia, University of Pisa, Marche Polytechnic University, La Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 3 University of Salento, University of Salerno, University of Sannio, University of Sassari, University of Siena, University of Turin, Polytechnic University of Turin, University of Trento, University of Trieste, University of Udine, University of Urbino, University of Venice, University IUAV of Venice, University of Verona, the National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics - OGS, the National Research Council (CNR) and the Ministry of University and Research (MiUR).