OCRE 2024 Framework
Since 2016, there have been Europe-wide framework agreements for cloud services that are specifically tailored to the needs of the education, science and research sectors. ACOnet participants can use these framework agreements to call up various cloud services without tendering.
As a successor and extension to GÉANT's "2020 IaaS+" framework agreements, which expired at the end of November 2024, a public cloud framework portfolio is available again for the Research & Education Network community. The new portfolio called "OCRE 2024 Framework" (OCRE stands for "Open Clouds for Research Environments") started in February 2025.
As before, the new portfolio includes Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS). This time, the term is 5 years.
A general introduction can be found in the document 
OCRE 2024 - What is the OCRE 2024 Framework Agreement?.
Service Providers in Austria
Until the end of 2029, eight cloud platforms from various providers will be available to ACOnet participants without tendering. Existing contracts from the "2020 IaaS+ Framework" should be transferred to the new framework, as it is more comprehensive and offers better conditions in most cases.
Formalities & Support
ACOnet again takes a (passive) referrer role in the OCRE 2024 Framework. This means: The specific supplier selection is the responsibility of ACOnet's participants, and all call-off and usage contracts are concluded directly between the suppliers and the participating organizations. In return, ACOnet once again waives a cost recovery fee. The discounts granted by the providers therefore benefit the participants in full.
In addition, support is available from ACOmarket GmbH (before or during the selection of a provider and the conclusion of a contract). On behalf of ACOnet, this company will
- draw up the corresponding call-off template contracts for Austria with all suppliers,
- carry out legal verifications if necessary,
- provide all interested ACOnet participants with the necessary general framework contract documents.
When selecting a supplier and also for large projects, certain particularities have to be taken into account for legally correct procurement (see OCRE 2024 - Institutions Guide to Using the Framework). The corresponding tools and guidelines are also supported by ACOmarket.
In addition, ACOnet's participating organizations can commission further individual assistance from ACOmarket at their own expense.
Further Information & Contact
Current information on the offers available in Austria is published on this webpage as well as via the mailing list "cloud-discuss". This mailing list is also intended to encourage active discussion as well as the exchange of experiences within the ACOnet community (there are no providers subscribed).
If you have specific questions to the ACOnet team regarding the OCRE 2024 Framework, please send them to cloud(at)aco.net.