Today, May 24, the assembly for the creation of the Gigacanda Association took place with the participation of representatives from the Brazilian National Research and Educational Network (RNP), the Federal Institute of Brasília (IFB) and the University of Brasília (UnB), which hosted the event. The ceremony marked the signing of the minutes creation for the creation fo the GigaCandanga Association and the election of its Fiscal and Advisory Boards, in addition to the Director General, Leonardo Lazarte, unanimously elected and who is the current president of the Managing Committee of the Sanca Network.

 Lazarte recalled that since 2002 this format of institution has been discussed based on counterparts from Canada, Stockholm (Sweden) and San Francisco (USA). The first step was to form networks with different demands at a local level. “In 2005, RNP began deploying the Research and Education Community Networks (Redecomeps) in capital cities, with two striking guidelines: the fact they they were to be community-based, autonomous and self-sustainable,” he recalled. “Now, so that we can have more agility in applications, we are aiming at a more autonomous management,” completed Lazarte.

For RNP’s Director General Nelson Simões, “once more, we will innovate and serve as a role model. We at RNP do not believe that Brazill, with its continental dimensions, can have important solutions in a centralized format. That is what this institutionality is so symbolic.” “So, I’d like to highlight four aspects: the first is the strengthening of the bond of the local community; the second is the stranghening of the national system, the RNP system, currently with over 1,500 campuses; the third is the self-sustainability, in which each member contributes to the maitenance of public assets; the fourth is that the institutionalization brings governance mechanisms that are very effective, promotes transparency and efficiency,” defended Simões.

The association is created with the purpose of managing the Federal District Metropolitan Network, a GigaCandanga, develop innovative solutions that are of public interest, act on research and development and support local public policies. RNP is part of the System as a nonprofit association, being considered a Science and Technology Institution (ICT).