Funds of R$98 million were transferred this month by the Ministry of Education to the Brazilian National Research and Educational Network (RNP). The amount, that will directly benefit more than 4 million people, including teachers, researchers and students from around the country, corresponds to the total of funding resources for this year for the network.

Today, the main institutions of higher education and knowledge production and innovation in Brazil, mainly universities, federal institutes of education, science and technology, state research units, teaching hospitals and museums, are connected at high speed by the advanced network of RNP - in total, 1237 units.

The funds transferred by MEC add up to the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovations and Communications (MCTIC) to meet the goals of the RNP management agreement, which provides not only high performance internet connection of educational institutions, but offering communication and collaboration services at distance. These applications provide support to activities in education and research organizations such as the Higher Education Personnel Improvement Coordination (Capes, in Portuguese), the Brazilian National Library, the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa, in Portuguese).

RNP's management agreement also defines research and development programs for the creation of protocols, services and applications in the information and communication technologies (ICT) and the training of human resources. Thus, experts and technology managers of the institutions can remain permanently updated and prepared for the innovative use of the academic network.

From total resources, R$8 million is used in the development of cooperation platform at distance of Open University of Brazil (UAB) and Periodic Portal of Capes, Brazilian virtual library with collection of 38 thousand scientific studies, 150 thousand books and 27 digital electronic books. This software infrastructure, developed and maintained by RNP, extends access to educational contents and integrates database.

With resources aimed at RNP, university public hospitals connected to University Network of Telemedicine (RUTE) are also benefitted, which connects 150 health units and is present in 120 telemedicine and telehealth throughout the Country.

Founded in 1999, the National Network Association of Education and Research is a non-profitable civil company, the purpose of which is to promote innovating use in advanced networks. Qualified as social organization (SO) in 2002, it maintains, operates and develops the Brazilian academy internet. It is executor of the interministerial program RNP, with management of the Ministries of Education, Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications, Health, Culture and Defense. Together, these folders establish guidelines, fund and monitor the achievement of projected benefits. MEC considers as essential the RNP services for education.

Source: Ministry of Education