StarLight was a founding member of the Global Lambda Integrated Facility (GLIF) initiative, which established an international organization to develop and promote new concepts, methods, and technologies based on international lightpath (lightwave/lambda) networking. During its annual conferences, the GLIF initiative supported the development of international testbeds to enabling demonstrations of innovative lightpath technology. This organization was comprised of National Research and Education Networks (NRENs), networking consortia, corporations, universities, and other institutions. GLIF participants provided testbed lightpaths internationally to support multiple research and development initiatives directed at creating new international communication services. As a global integrated facility, the GLIF initiative supported data intensive scientific research, optical middleware development, the creation of new network management techniques, and specialized testbeds.