ALICE2 seeks to include Honduras The ASTRA project Recovering the sounds that times gone by erased from our historical memory CLARA’s birthday June 2009 - Year 5, Nº 19 The DeCLARA bulletin is made in the framework of the dissemination actions of ALICE2, a Project co-funded by the European Commission through the @LIS2 Programme. This project is funded A project implemented by the European Union by CLARA European Commission Press Contact: EuropeAid Cooperation María José López Pourailly Office PR & Communications Directorate B2 - Latin America Manager - CLARA @LIS Programme maria-jose.lopez@redclara. Rue Joseph II, 54 J54 4/13 net B-1049 Brussels (+56) 2 337 03 57 BELGIUM Canadá 239, Providencia Santiago CHILE «The European Union is made up of 25 Member States who have decided to gradually link together their know- how, resources and destinies. Together, during a period of enlargement of 50 years, they have built a zone of stability, democracy and sustainable development whilst maintaining cultural diversity, tolerance and individual freedoms. The European Union is committed to sharing its achievements and its values with countries and peoples beyond its borders». The European Commission is the EU’s executive body. Contents 4 Editorial 5 June 10 CLARA’s birthday 8 E-CienciAL Project approved for a second term Global e-Infrastructure Networking Event I: An opportunity to 10 establish new contacts and to create connections 12 ALICE2 seeks to include Honduras 14 ALICE2 had its place in TNC2009 Working to make a dream come true FEAST, more than a 17 feasibility study... The ASTRA project Recovering those sounds that times gone 20 by erased from our historical memory 28 Costa Rica on-Line 31 Peruvian initiative in genetics Searching for the super potato 33 CLARA in Bolivia A high level technological fair 34 The creation of a Grid in El Salvador moves forward 36 Influenza AH1N1 RedCLARA’s antiviral connection e-Infrastructures and sustainable development are given 40 prominence in Brazil Mexican expert gave a conference in Central America thanks 42 to RedCLARA 44 Agenda Editing: María José López Pourailly | Contents: Tania Altamirano, María José López, Ixchel Pérez, Verónica Uribe, Renata Victal | Translation - Portuguese: Renata Victal | Translation - English: Ricardo Contreras | Graphic Design: Marcela González Garfias. Editorial The added value of having more members o spread the good news and Human riches “Tattract more human richness into the group”. This could be the colloquial The contribution of members in terms of the version of the Inclusion Work Group’s ways of scientific cooperation, the invitations main objective within the ALICE2 to events, the offering of projects and the project. interaction among peers fill up the optical or copper fibre links which RedCLARA maintains. All national research and education This is our network’s true mission and core networks participating in the ALICE2 business. project, from our CLARA organisation, understand the benefits and wide The idea of attracting human riches into the possibilities that this network can bring network, the second part of the ALICE 2 Inclusion into our countries and their citizens, Group’s fundamental objective, aims to have through an improvement of the way other universities, other research centres and to conduct scientific and technological other educational institutions connected to activities, which in turn impinges on those who currently make up this community in the desirable conditions for a better Latin America. More institutions in the countries quality of life. already connected, and new countries which Rafael Ibarra, connect their national networks to the network. Director Ejecutivo de RAICES. This is, in part, the good news we are interested in spreading, both within our The meeting in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, countries and regions, as well as towards other has an additional objective apart from the countries which are currently not connected to usual purposes of regular meetings: to have RedCLARA. the opportunity, first-hand, face-to-face, of participating and inviting Honduran colleagues Diversity is one of CLARA’s assets to set up their own national network and to become fully incorporated into CLARA, thus The more than 700 universities and research materialising the intentions already expressed in centres across Latin America which are the past. connected and communicate through CLARA and their member national networks, represent The incorporation of new members into the a key asset and our network’s best presentation network is good news for everyone. It is a win- card. It is not only the quantity, which in itself win situation, since at the same time that the is a relevant data, but also the diversity of new country’s national network wins because it disciplines, experiences, environments and skills becomes associated with other networks in the found throughout the network. region, RedCLARA wins because it widens the human riches that constitutes it. By enabling their interaction in an efficient and effective way, RedCLARA exponentially increases Let us work all together so that we can soon be the impact of their activities on our population’s welcoming a new partner into Latin America’s welfare. The doors to other world research science and research advanced network. centres have been left open through the many interactions regularly developed and the joint research projects which take place in the different disciplines, thus widening the scope of Latin American e-Science. 4 June 10 CLARA’s birthday Six years ago, as a result of ALICE project, the representatives of 13 Latin American countries signed the Constitutive Act, which officially signed the founding of the Latin American Advanced Networking Corporation, a non for profit organization dedicated to scientific development through advanced telecommunications networking for research, innovation and education. Today CLARA stands up, raise its hands and salutes its community which is celebrating the achievements of such a young but solid institution. Tania Altamirano RedCLARA creation 1CCLARA develops and operates RedCLARA, advanced Internet network, established in Latin America- for regional interconnection- on 2004, and connected to GÉANT2 (advanced pan European net), through ALICE Project, which- until march 2008- was co financed by the European Commission, through @LIS Programme. “The enthusiasm generated by ALICE clearly appeared in CLARA’s creation, created to develop and make sustainable in the long term this key infrastructure for scientific development, and also for the generation of virtual integration spaces for universities and research centres in the region”. Florencio Utreras, CLARA Executive Director, DeCLARA Nº1, April 2005, at: http:// www.redclara.net/doc/DeCLARA/DeCLARA_ english_0405_1.pdf CLARA management 2CLARA is integrated by 17 Latin American countries and her Assembly- where each country is the organism in charge of CLARA’s Executive has a representative- seasons every six months, Direction, a charge trusted by the Directory and in order to define the action lines and policies the Assembly. to be implemented. CLARA’s institutional government organisms are the Directory (main “The success of the ALICE Project which was body, integrated by: President, Vice-president, able to create a Latin American Research and Secretary, Treasurer and a Director), the Fiscal Education Network (RedCLARA) linking together Commission (conformed by three members 12 Latin American Countries among themselves of the Assembly non part of the Directory), and to the pan-European Network GÈANT2 has and the Technical Commission (with seven been one of the major achievements of the EU- members, engineers of the networks connected LAC Cooperation in Information Society. The to RedCLARA, watches over the development, construction of the physical telecommunications the technical implementations and the security network has been implemented successfully but, of the net). The Executive Secretary of CLARA more importantly perhaps, the Latin Americans 5 stakeholders of this ambitious endeavour have Panama (RedCYT), Peru (RAAP), Uruguay (RAU) been able to create an independent working and Venezuela (REACCIUN2-CENIT). organisation which manages and operates the network and promotes collaboration Bolivia, Cuba, Honduras, Nicaragua and Paraguay between the LA countries, each with its national are not yet connected. The goal is to establish a organisation of networks for research. These net with a wide coverage of Latin America and achievements and the dynamism of this relatively deeply connected with the Caribbean. young organisation, has convinced us to support the ALICE2 Project, aiming at expanding the “RedCLARA operation, from 2004 on, and network and its benefits to all the countries the countries connection, from Mexico to in the regionand, to promote collaborative Argentina, was possible thanks to the strategic research intra LA and with EU, contributing communications between Latin America thus to the consolidation of RedCLARA’s self and Europe, the support of the Information sustainability”. Basile T. Papadopoulos, Head Society Programmes of this countries, and to of Unit EuropeAid/B/2, “ALICE2: The EC funds the linkage with the institutions customers extension of RedCLARA Network and continued from international networks and international interconnection with Europe’s GÉANT to support partners. Their value as an instrument of cohesion development of Latin America” (on line at: http:// and collaboration