What OCRE is and Why It Matters for Research Institutions

It's a grey Monday morning in February, and Professor Andersson is staring at her screen, willing the grant portal to behave. Funding deadlines loom, yet here she is, bogged down in procurement paperwork instead of pushing forward on her research into climate modelling. The cloud services she needs are tangled in red tape, budget approvals, and technical jargon. Sound familiar? If you’ve ever wrestled with academic bureaucracy while trying to move research forward, you’re not alone.

Situations like this, amongst many others, were a driving force behind the creation of OCRE (Open Clouds for Research Environments), a European initiative aimed at cutting through bureaucracy and simplifying cloud adoption for academia.

What is OCRE?

OCRE is essentially a matchmaking service, but instead of pairing people, it connects research institutions with top-tier cloud providers. The initiative streamlines procurement by offering pre-negotiated contracts, making cloud adoption faster, simpler, and more cost-effective.

Funded by the European Commission, OCRE is all about breaking down barriers that prevent researchers from accessing powerful cloud solutions. By simplifying the process, it allows scientists, educators, and students to focus on what they do best — innovating and discovering.

At the core of OCRE is a competitive tender where cloud providers submit detailed proposals showcasing their compliance, technical capabilities, and value for money. Following a rigorous evaluation, we’re very proud that we secured our spot for both AWS and Google Cloud services. This achievement means research institutions can work with PCG to access advanced cloud technology through pre-negotiated contracts, avoiding the usual procurement challenges.

Challenges Faced by Research Institutions

In an ideal world, adopting cloud technology in academic environments would be a straightforward journey, but limited budgets, technical complexity, navigating procurement and ensuring data security all come together to make it feel like a maze of roadblocks.

As we’ve already mentioned above, OCRE aims to solve these challenges by providing a streamlined, efficient way to access cloud services, cutting out unnecessary red tape and making advanced computing power readily available. The initiative provides:

• Pre-negotiated contracts – No more lengthy procurement processes.
• A vast range of cloud solutions – AI, machine learning, high-performance computing—you name it.
• Security and compliance – Designed to meet the high standards of research institutions.

By eliminating procurement bottlenecks and financial uncertainties, OCRE ensures quicker access to the tools needed to drive discoveries, scale research projects, and collaborate more effectively.

Supporting Research and Education with The Cloud

At PCG, we've had the privilege of supporting research and educational institutions with advanced cloud solutions, as well as through our involvement with OCRE. We've helped institutions overcome challenges related to data security, computational power, and operational efficiency. Our work in the educational sector demonstrates how the right cloud strategy can transform academic environments:

Transforming Robotics Research
At RCCL, researchers needed robust computational power to run complex simulations for AI-driven robotics. With PCG's support, they leveraged AWS cloud services to significantly reduce processing times and enhance their ability to test complex scenarios in real-time.

• Transforming Robotics Research: RCCL's Migration to AWS

Secure User Management for GRNET
GRNET S.A., a leading public sector technology company in Greece, needed a secure and efficient way to manage sensitive student and research data. PCG helped implement a solution that streamlined access management, improved data security, and reduced administrative overhead, supporting GRNET's mission to enhance digital services for academic and research institutions across

• AWS Solutions for Secure User Management in Education

These examples are just a glimpse of what cloud technology can offer to the education sector. Beyond improving data security and computational power, the cloud can provide a wide range of benefits, including:

1. Supporting remote learning – Allowing students and educators to connect and collaborate from anywhere.
2. Enabling cross-border research – Facilitating international collaboration with shared resources and tools.
3. Offering scalable resources – Providing flexible computing power for everything from small student projects to large-scale research initiatives.

As cloud technology continues to evolve, its potential to transform educational environments will only grow, offering new opportunities for innovation and discovery.

Empowering Research with Cloud Innovation

As we can see, OCRE is more than just a procurement initiative—it’s a catalyst for research excellence. By clearing the path to cloud adoption, it empowers institutions to focus on what truly matters: advancing knowledge, fostering collaboration, and driving breakthroughs. Consultancies like PCG also play a critical role in helping institutions navigate the OCRE process, ensuring they can make the most of advanced cloud technology without the usual roadblocks. With expert guidance, cloud solutions transform from an administrative hurdle into a powerful tool for innovation and progress.