This year, RNP resumed holding the traditional National Meeting of PoPs and Redecomeps - a satellite event of the RNP Forum, which brings together managers from RNP, PoPs and Community Education and Research Networks (Redecomep). The last edition took place in 2019 and was interrupted until then due to the Coronavirus pandemic. This year's event took place last Friday (09/01), in the auditorium of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), in Brasília. 

“This is a moment of fresh start and also of celebration of what we proposed to do in the last face-to-face meeting that took place in August 2018, which, although temporarily interrupted by the pandemic, everything we agreed on remains valid. On that occasion, we focused on a development program to increase the level of maturity in the management and governance of PoPs and Redecomeps. We encouraged the importance of formalizing the components (PoPs and Redecomeps) so that they were prepared for the opportunities that the System would open up in the states”, highlights Cristiane Oliveira, RNP relationship manager. 

The objective of this action is to develop coordinated action in the territories and not just the acquisition of infrastructure resources, as the central purpose is to strengthen the RNP System, mainly in relation to people, their capabilities and the possibility of delivering solutions in favor of the development of Brazilian science. 

For Takashi Tome, RNP's institutional relationship manager, partnership with states is considered a fundamental pillar for the RNP System, especially from the perspective of creating an education and research cyberinfrastructure. “It is through PoPs and Metropolitan Networks that we are able to bring the benefits of RNP to the academic community. They are the ones who transmit our results to end customers", he states. 

According to EdisonMelo, coordinator of PoP in Santa Catarina (PoP-SC), cooperation between Redecomep actors and the integration of the state's entire science and technology system are ways of contributing to the consolidation of the RNP System.  “There is no ready-made recipe, the challenges are daily, it is necessary to maintain constant contact with the actors of the various initiatives that make up the academic network, because even if state managers change, it is important to keep the initiatives running”, he highlights. 

About Redecomep 

The Redecomep Program - Community Education and Research Networks - implements high-speed networks in the country's metropolitan regions connected by RNP Points of Presence (PoPs), and in interior cities with two or more federal teaching and research institutions. In the capitals, Redecomeps are linked directly to the PoPs and, in the interior, Aggregation Points (PoAs) are set up to connect Redecomep to the PoP, in the capital. Currently, there are 52 networks in full operation and, by the end of this year, we plan to have 95 networks, according to Marco Montoro, from RNP's Network Engineering Management (GER). 

The 2023 event, which was attended by 110 participants, opened with the participation of RNP Directors presenting the strategic vision of the RNP System. Throughout the day, debates addressed issues necessary for the consolidation of the RNP System, such as actions and partnerships with states, and the construction and consolidation of networks, both metropolitan and long-distance. The event concluded with RNP and some networks (Remessa, from Salvador; GigaCandanga, from Brasília; and REMEP-FLN, from Florianópolis) presenting their research, development and innovation work.