CLARA and Internet2 to Collaborate on Innovative Network Technologies and Applications

INDIANAPOLIS – October 15, 2003 – Last night, representatives of Internet2® and CLARA (Cooperación Latino-Americana de Redes Avanzadas) signed an agreement at the Fall 2003 Internet2 Fall Member Meeting to collaborate on developing the next generation of Internet technologies and applications for the global research and education community. The agreement will provide a basis for the two organizations to work together toward establishing high-performance Internet connectivity between their respective communities with the goal of enabling researchers to collaborate internationally.

"CLARA is an essential step for developing information society in Latin America and the Caribbean in collaboration with existing regional networking initiatives in Europe, North America and the Pacific Rim. We are glad to have Internet2 as a partner in supporting the innovative use of advanced applications in our communities," said Nelson Simões, chair of CLARA.

Douglas Van Houweling, president and CEO of Internet2 said, "Today’s Internet enables U.S. researchers, teachers and students to communicate and work with their colleagues around the globe. This agreement between CLARA and Internet2 will enhance the potential for collaboration between research and education communities in the United States, Latin American and the Caribbean."

As part of the agreement, CLARA and Internet2 will work collaboratively to:

+ Promote appropriate interconnection between and among their respective members and networks for the purpose of development and pre-commercial testing and use of advanced research and education applications;

+ Collaborate on the development of common standards and technical implementations across their respective networks;

+ Promote collaboration between their constituent member organizations and institutions relating to the development of next-generation networking and applications in research and higher education; and,

+ Encourage technology transfer from their joint endeavors to accelerate the availability of new services and applications.

The CLARA organization comprises national advanced networks from more than 16 countries throughout Latin America. As of today, several CLARA members (CUDI-Mexico, RNP-Brazil, RETINA-Argentina, REUNA-Chile, REACCIUN-2-Venezuela) already have direct connections to Internet2 networks in the United States, including Internet2’s Abilene network. Some of these connections are supported by the AMPATH project and others via connections with California’s CENIC network and the University of Texas at El Paso. As the RedCLARA backbone network is developed, CLARA anticipates that more than 700 universities and research centers will be connected to it. RedCLARA, being developed with the support of the European ALICE Project, will create the first intra-regional infrastructure for research and education in Latin America and the Caribbean.