Cases & Voices

The importance of digital transformation in schools across Brazil has become even more evident with the COVID-19 pandemic. In a country with so many social and regional disparities, Internet access is still a distant reality for many municipalities. With the aim of reducing this distance, the country’s government created the Internet Brasil Program at the end of 2021, executed by RNP.

“The Digital Alliance between Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe: an opportunity to bridge the digital divide” is the title of an article recently published by the executive director of RedCLARA, Luis Eliécer Cadenas, in which he reflects on the progress and challenges in scientific cooperation between the two regions, the role of regional and national research and education networks and the opportunities of the BELLA II project.

In an increasingly digitized world, the intersection of technology and health has become vital for improving healthcare outcomes and increasing access to health services. Among these new opportunities is mental health, a critical area often marginalized in healthcare. We are sharing information about the strategic alliance between RENATA and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in Colombia, and its commitment to strengthening mental health through the Digital Health academic programme and the ECHO care model.

When COVID-19 lockdowns started in early 2020 it was inevitable that usage of eduroam would initially suffer as travelling became nearly impossible for most and heavily restricted for everyone.

RNP (the Brazilian national research and education network) always seeks to innovate and improve the service experience for its users. The arrival of ChatGPT, the Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool that has caused a stir in social networks recently, is a great example of this. From the beginning, RNP recognised that AI presented an opportunity to take customer support to a new level, and carefully evaluated the technology.

It was a long and very complex journey, but Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) through the connectivity of the BELLA Programme (Building the Europe Link to Latin America) shortened the distance to cross the Atlantic Ocean, allowing the exchange of information and distance “rehearsals”, in real time and virtual environment, between Rio de Janeiro and London. Result: craniopagus twins Eduardo and Arthur Lima, nearly four years old, were separated after nine surgeries.