The Philippine e-Science Grid, or PSciGrid, was conceived as a response to the emerging need for a national e-Science grid infrastructure. This advanced network technology is intended to reinforce the dynamism of modern research by responding to its increasing demand for high computing power and leveraging on collaborative environments. PSciGrid provides Filipino researchers and scientists a facility or infrastructure to conduct high level scientific research where they would be able to contribute to societal development.

The PSciGrid initiative is made possible through funding from the Department of Science and Technology’s Grants-in-Aid (DOST-GIA) program. The Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI), spearheaded by the Research and Development (R&D) Division, implements and manages the PSciGrid. PSciGrid intends to boost local research and development activities by encouraging collaborative partnerships among R&D and the academic environment. ASTI collaborates with the following institutions to set up the pilot national e-Science grid infrastructure: UP-Computational Science Research Center (UP-CSRC); Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services (PAGASA); and Ateneo de Manila University-School of Science and Engineering (AdMU-SoSE).

The PSciGrid primarily aims to establish a pilot e-Science grid platform by initially connecting ASTI's high performance computing (HPC) facility with computing clusters of the above-mentioned institutions. This allows the sharing of computing resources among the connected institutions to enable researchers and other users to undertake computing-intensive tasks more efficiently, and without having to worry about limited disk or memory space.

Moreover, grid-based applications and services that address the needs of users and potential users of the HPC facility, are deployed . PSciGrid aims to continuously foster the use of grid computing to education and research communities locally by hosting advocacy events, seminars and conferences to promote awareness on advancements in grid technology, while trainings and workshops are conducted to serve as venue for information and technology sharing.

The PSciGrid has two main thrusts: (1) provide the basic grid infrastructure, maintenance and continual technological (computing power, storage capacity) enhancement and upgrading for the grid infrastructure; and (2) develop or deploy grid-based and grid-enabled applications that are responsive to the demands of the local scientific community (particularly in the life and physical sciences).