Latin America must move toward the new way of producing knowledge

The Deputy Director of Planning and International Cooperation of CONACYT Mexico warned today at the opening of the GISELA-CHAIN Conference ​​that Latin America should "wake up" in the subject of e-Science and move faster to respond institutionally to this new way of generating Knowledge.

                        
The statement was made in the discussion environment generated by the GISELA-CHAIN ​​Conference at the  Autonomous University of Mexico, about the e-Infrastructure and its possible uses for the benefit of science and education.

As it is known, the GISELA-CHAIN Conference began today ​​in Mexico City and will be going on until June 29, with discussion sessions about the technical and organizational advances that have been generated in Europe and Latin America in the issue of e-Infrastructures available to science and education.

Bernard Marechal, Coordinator of the Grid Initiatives for e-Science virtual communities in Europe and Latin America –GISELA- project (primary organizer of the activity), addressed the expectations of the Conference, making emphasis that in addition to assessing the progress of the e-Infrastructure and its use in scientific areas in the region, this event also has the challenge of explaining to decision and policy makers in science and technology of the importance of the subject and its impact on the sector in Latin America. "E-Science is not a luxury but a necessity."

Marechal remembered that the current bet is on the system of academic and research networks in the region, grouped in RedCLARA as key players for the future of e-Science in Latin America, an idea that has been welcomed by the European Commission who is evaluating the transition of the entire accumulated experience in the region for six years in the field with European funding.

Felipe Bracho, director of Computing and Information Technology and Communication at the UNAM explained in this context the important role that Mexico had to meet in consolidating academic networks and stressed that UNAM is committed to scientific collaboration in Mexico and the region. "Behind these platforms are networks of people and ultimately it is these people that collaborate”, illustrated Bracho to refer to the long road to be traveled to join effectively the new way of doing science.