The Cyclone access policy operates under a unified access model designed to serve the national research and innovation community. Its core guiding principles are fairness, transparency, efficiency, and compliance.
Primary Focus on R&D&I: The facility strategically emphasizes Research, Development, and Innovation (R&D&I) to advance scientific knowledge and foster innovative entrepreneurship.
Complementary to Larger Systems: The facility serves as a primary resource for moderate- scale projects, directing users with larger computational demands to international facilities like those provided by EuroHPC.
Access to the Cyclone HPC facility is provided through two distinct modes, as defined in the CyI General Framework. The mode of access is determined by the nature of the proposed work.
Relevance-driven Access (for Research & Innovation): This is the primary mode of access for projects focused on Research & Innovation (R&D&I). In line with the General Framework, access for these projects is provided free of charge (Option 1 without additional costs). This applies to projects from academia, research organizations, public bodies, and SMEs. As an exception mandated by EU state-aid regulations, large companies requesting access for R&D&I fall under the Market-driven Access mode.
Market-driven Access (for Commercial Use): This mode applies to any project of a commercial (non-R&D&I) nature. Access is provided against payment of a fee calculated to cover the full cost of using the infrastructure. A strict cap ensures that a maximum of 20% of the total computational resources will be allocated to Market-driven projects.
The project duration for all proposals is three (3) monthsAn "Access Unit" for Cyclone is defined as CPU hours and GPU hours. Access is capped at a maximum of 200,000 CPU hours and 10,000 GPU hours for the 3-month period.
In accordance with the CyI General Framework, which states that a research infrastructure may announce “periodic or open calls for applications depending on the availability of the Research Infrastructure(s)”, access to Cyclone operates under a continuous open call. This model allows researchers to apply whenever a need arises, which is suitable for the facility's dynamic and regular evaluation cycle. All applications must be submitted through the single point of entry, the designated HPC ticketing system, which can be found at the following address: Submit a Request via the HPC Ticketing System The subsequent evaluationprocess is divided into two distinct paths—expedited and standard—depending on the scale of the resources requested.
To be considered for evaluation, applicants must submit a comprehensive proposal, typically 3-4 pages, providing a convincing case for the project's merit and resource needs. The proposal must include:
Project Description: A clear description of the project's goals, its scientific excellence or potential for innovation, and its novelty and timeliness.
Methodology: A detailed explanation of the methodology that will be used to achieve the project's objectives.
Project Team: A brief presentation of the Principal Investigator and collaborating team members, outlining their expertise and the management structure of the project.
Software and Technical Readiness: A statement on the availability of the necessary software. In the case of community or user-developed code, evidence must be provided that it has been tested for efficiency, scalability, and suitability for the Cyclone architecture. For licensed software, applicants must be able to provide a valid license.
Resource Justification: A detailed work plan that clearly justifies the number of CPU/GPU hours requested. This must include calculations based on the proposed job size and the number of job executions planned.
Confidentiality: Applicants must identify any confidentiality issues and provide a justification for why they are necessary.
Expedited Review (for Minimal Resources): To ensure rapid access for exploratory work, applications requesting minimal resources (defined as up to 10,000 CPU hours or 5,000 GPU hours)
Process: This is a quick technical eligibility check, not a full panel review. It focuses on the feasibility of the request and the availability of the required software.
Evaluator: The review is conducted by the HPCF staff.
Timeline: The goal is to provide a decision within 1-2 business days.
Standard Review (for all other proposals):
Process: The review assesses the project's technical soundness, its appropriateness for the HPC architecture, the justification for the requested resources, and its compliance with institutional policies.
Evaluator: The review is conducted by a small, internal CyI committee.
Timeline: The committee evaluates proposals on a weekly basis, or more frequently if needed.
Projects can be renewed for additional 3-month periods to accommodate long-term research needs. Requests for renewal should also be submitted through the HPC ticketing system. This simplified process typically involves a brief update on project progress and a confirmation of continued resource needs, ensuring continuous access with minimal administrative overhead. To ensure fair access, multiple recurring requests from the same applicants may be given lower priority than those from new users.
No Backup: There is NO BACKUP performed for any user directory on the system. Users are solely responsible for securing their own data.
Data Removal: All project data must be removed from the system by the user within one month after the end of the project. One month after the agreement terminates, CyI-HPCF will remove all user accounts and any remaining files.
Scratch Directory: Files in the scratch directory are automatically deleted 30 days after their last access time; empty directories are deleted after 30 days.
Access to the facility is governed by the principles of two agreements: the Research Infrastructure Access Agreement (at the institutional level) and the User Access Agreement (at the individual level). The implementation of these agreements depends on the access mode.
User Access Agreement (Individual): This agreement applies to all users (both free and paid access). It is implemented as the Acceptable Usage Policy (AUP). To be granted access, all
For Relevance-driven (Free) Access: This agreement is established through a process of formal communication. It is initiated when a Principal Investigator (PI) submits a proposal on behalf of their institution and is considered finalized upon the official notification of the resource award from CyI.
For Market-driven (Paid) Access: This agreement is formalized as a contract between CyI and the User Institution detailing the scope of work, fees, payment terms, and other legal provisions.
Key obligations covered within these agreements include:
Final Report: The project's PI must submit a Final Report summarizing the results within two months of the allocation's completion.
Acknowledgement: All publications resulting
"This work was supported by computing time awarded on the Cyclone supercomputer of the High Performance Computing Facility of The Cyprus Institute under project ID PROJECTID."
Where technical support from staff has been received, the following additional text is recommended:
"The assistance of [name of person/people] from the CyI HPC Facility in achieving the technical requirements is gratefully acknowledged."
Acceptable Usage: The AUP, which all individual users must accept, includes rules such as the non-sharing of personal usernames and using the system only for the approved project.
The allocation of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) is governed by the principles laid out for Relevance-driven access in the CyI General Framework. As such, Results generated during the project are owned by the Party that generates them. Where Results are generated jointly and inseparably, they shall be jointly owned by the User's party (Entitled Party) and CyI.
The handling of all personal data related to the application and access process adheres strictly to the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), as detailed in the CyI General Framework. Personal information will be used only for the purposes of managing the access process and will not be disclosed without the explicit permission of those involved.