The morning of the first day had a panel of deans and a debate on the digitization of museum collections

“MCTI counts on RNP to advance public policies that result in the generation of scientific and technological knowledge for the benefit of the population. Digital transformation is fundamental to solving problems and improving people’s quality of life.” The statement by the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Luciana Santos, kickstarted the12th edition of the RNP Forum. Alongside the general director of RNP, Nelson Simões, the minister welcomed the participants of the event, which until Thursday (31) will debate the main trends in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). 

In her speech, Luciana Santos discussed projects within her portfolio and explained some of the areas that will be prioritized by the federal government's New PAC, such as investment in 18 infoways, totaling more than 40 thousand kilometers of optical fiber throughout the national territory.

“It is an investment that stimulates the development of new technologies and partnerships between the public and private sectors. Furthermore, it contributes to the qualification of young people in the ICT sector. I would like to highlight the Hackers do Bem project, which we developed in partnership with RNP. We will train up to 35 thousand students in the area and strengthen the national cybersecurity ecosystem”, she pointed out.

Simões thanked the minister for her presence and celebrated the return of the Forum in person after the pandemic. “May it be three days of a lot of exchange, of a lot of learning and may we leave here with a lot of energy to develop solutions and contribute to the development of education, research and innovation in Brazil”, he stated. 

100% female panel of deans

After the opening ceremony, the director of Services and Solutions at RNP, Antonio Carlos F. Nunes, received leaders from organizations that are part of the RNP System. This year, the traditional Panel of Deans was made up 100% of women.

Sandra Regina Goulart Almeida, dean of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG); Alessandra Ciambarella Paulon, vice-rector of Basic, Technical and Technological Education at the Federal Institute of Rio de Janeiro (IFRJ); and Simone Benck, rector of the University of the Federal District (UnDF) participated.

They spoke about some of the institutions' initiatives, such as a mobility program for researchers and students in Latin America and the expansion of the offer of cultural courses.

Brasiliana Museus: a milestone in the digitization of Brazilian museum collections

While the rectors met in Arena I, Arena II welcomed José Murilo Costa Carvalho Júnior. The head of the Information Technology sector at the Brazilian Institute of Museums (Ibram) spoke with Álvaro Malaguti, RNP's relationship manager, about network collections and cultural digitalization initiatives. 

Carvalho Júnior told the public what to expect from the launch of Brasiliana Museus, first aggregator of collections from national museums, using 100% Brazilian technology developed in free software. “By doing a better job of digitizing and documenting the collections, we can reach audiences that would otherwise be unreachable”, highlighted the manager.