EGEE offers a wide range services intended for Users of the EGEE infrastructure at all levels. A brief introduction to these services is provided below.

EGEE provides two levels of support to users wanting to interface their applications to gLite middleware.  Inexperienced users are encouraged to first port their applications to the .  GILDA is a self-contained grid running gLite and has a dedicated team supplying hands-on porting supports.  More experienced users can port their applications to the EGEE production infrastructure.  EGEE provides contacts to experts running similar applications who can be consulted for advice.  The availability of such expertise is a key factor in the rapid development of the use of Grids by applications.

Users are organised in Virtual Organisations (VOs), user communities with similar interests and a desire to share resources.  EGEE welcomes new VOs, their users, and their applications via streamlined VO integration procedures.  The project conferences and User Forums permit contact with people with similar computational and data management problems from diverse application areas. The organizes this area.

All users require basic training in getting started, and in developing skills for use of the Grid. An end-user scientist needs instruction for the use of an appropriate interface for his application, with appropriate updates as it develops. Computer specialists need instruction in interfacing applications to the Grid, backed up by appropriate workshops and discussion groups. In both cases the educational process is essential and ongoing.

Courses are organised by EGEE ranging from basic Grid technology induction to specialised application development. The courses are organised throughout the EGEE community based on user demand. This training work is coordinated and developed by the NA3 activity, see for more details.

EGEE infrastructure users are supported by the GGUS (Global Grid User Support) service, which has appropriate interfaces to all support areas including VO specific support and networking. GGUS now supports up to 60 VOs, through  a federated system featuring both centrally provided resources and coordination and local resources provided via Regional Operations Centres. More information on GGUS can be found at .

All users face the problem of navigating through the large volume of information available on all aspects of using the Grid – getting started in a VO, simple user manuals, detailed technical manuals, self instruction courses, documentation on running applications etc.

The project is currently developing  a simple interface to the many sources of user support documentation based on sets of use cases for different classes of Grid users – beginners, those with some experience and experts. This information will start to become available from September 2006.

A recent and very successful development has been the organisation of the first in a series of user forums, which allowed users from a wide range of scientific disciplines to present their applications and to discuss technical issues with the EGEE personnel providing the support for infrastructure, middleware and application integration.  The first user forum (see timetable ) attracted over 90 technical contributions, and a has been published summarising the key elements of the applications use of Grid technology and associated key technical issues.