News

RedCLARA and the Internet Society Dominican Republic Chapter (ISOC-DO) took an important step towards the creation of a National Research and Education Network (NREN) in the country, with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on February 16, in the framework of the EU-LAC Digital Alliance High Level Dialogue on Cybersecurity.

The parties were represented by RedCLARA's Manager of Communications, Public Relations and International Cooperation, María José López (representing the Executive Director, Luis Eliécer Cadenas) and the President of ISOC Dominican Republic, Oswaldo Larancuent Cueto.

This is the second agreement signed by RedCLARA with organizations in the Dominican Republic for the creation of the local NREN. The first one was signed in November with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (MESCYT), the Government Office of Information and Communication Technologies (OGCIT) and the Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (INDOTEL).

In the same spirit of promoting technical and technological cooperation, innovation and digital transformation at the national level, the agreement between RedCLARA and ISOC aims to establish a regulatory framework for cooperation mechanisms between the parties with the objectives of supporting and promoting the creation of the RNIE, supporting the process of dialogues carried out by RedCLARA in the context of the BELLA I project, and supporting the articulation with the various stakeholders in the project - including universities, research centers, companies, NGOs and civil society- to ensure the best use of the capabilities that the project will provide.

According to RedCLARA's NRENs Liaison Manager, Cecilia Ortiz, the agreement aims to further the process initiated in November for the Dominican network to conform and join RedCLARA. "We are very pleased with the signing of the agreement, and throughout this process the Dominican Republic and its organizations have been a fundamental support. In the specific case of ISOC, they have an IXP, which is a connection point that we could use precisely to connect the country to RedCLARA", said Cecilia. D

uring the period of the MoU (12 months) ISOC-DO is also committed to work in the identification and articulation of stakeholders interested in RedCLARA and the BELLA II project, to promote the development of research projects that make use of Advanced Networks, promote the participation of researchers, teachers and students all over the country in Working Groups and RedCLARA communities.

RedCLARA, in turn, will support ISOC-DO in the development of the activities and fields of action mentioned above and in the consolidation of the RNIE. In addition, it commits to providing  ISOC and Dominican higher education and research institutions with access to the activities carried out by itself and its allies, in accordance withits statutes and in the context of the objectives of the MoU.

According to Cecilia Ortiz, the first actions under the MoU include events and webinars to promote the initiative coming in the next weeks and the expectation is that the network will be created and join to RedCLARA by the end of 2024.