1. 1 Innovative partnerships to promote ICT in education: experience from Mexico Restoring Global Balance Together. Fifth Annual World Bank Group’s Staff Exchange Program and Knowledge Sharing Program Conference June 28, 2004 Washington, D.C. Carlos Casasús

2. I Next Generation Internet Initiatives in the U. S. and in the developed world

3. The Clinton Administration considered that the leadership of the US in networking technologies was critical for defense purposes as well as for the continuing growth of the US economy. With the leadership of Vice President Gore the US Federal Government sponsors the Next Generation Internet Initiative. Significant resources were channeled, mainly through the National Science Foundation to support connectivity among National Laboratories and large research universities

4. The IT technology spiral...

5. As part of the Next Generation Internet Initiative, 34 major research universities formed a non-profit corporation to run a high capacity network...

6. Today, UCAID is a non profit consortium of more than 200 universities working with government and industry in the development of tomorrows Internet technologies and applications. Its main objectives are: To deploy and operate an advanced technology network for the research and higher education community To develop advanced applications To promote the transfer of new services and applications to commercial Internet

8. In other countries… Most developed countries have formed non profit organizations for the operation of advanced education and research networks National Research and Education Networks

9. NREN´s have the following common characteristics: They operate high capacity networks based on Internet protocol Run as cooperative, non profit institutions To facilitate cooperation with telecommunications providers they are operated as private networks. They do not commercialize services to the general public Networks are open to the scientific and higher education community of the country To facilitate international connectivity, only one network per country is recognized as the NREN

10. The world´s NREN community is comprises some 45 countries and close to 4,000 universities…

11. II Forces promoting the use of ICT’s and high capacity networks in the Mexican Higher Education System

12. 4 Factors… Demography Globalization New models for research New pedagogical models in higher education

13. 1) Demography The Mexican Higher Education System has a capacity to serve only 2.3 million of a total population of 14 million in university age (18 to 24 years of age). 16%

14. University age population will keep increasing until 2025 when it will reach 18 million people

15. Young Mexicans see a University education as the key to access higher standards of living. Practically all universities are rejecting 2 or 3 applicants for each one they accept

16. Traditionally universities served the following functions… A physical place to study A physical repository of books and learning materials A physical concentration of laboratories A physical place for scholars to exchange knowledge An institution that certifies the acquisition of knowledge

17. With traditional teaching methods the main cost components of increasing capacity are buildings, teachers, laboratories, Books

18. These costs increase in a linear proportion to capacity. The more students, the more buildings, teachers, libraries and labs needed capacity cost

19. ICT’s can change the direct relationship between capacity and cost imposed by traditional teaching methods LibraryDigital library A physical place to studyRemote and on line teaching and learning LaboratoriesVirtual and remote laboratories A physical place for scholars to exchange knowledge Chats, virtual forums,videoconferencing Certification of knowledge Remote and lifelong certification

20. IT can change the cost function allowing universities (all schools) to increase capacity and quality of education and research with less cost and financial resources capacity cost

21. 2) Globalization The Mexican economy is changing as it integrates into a global economy. The economy demands more information workers and less industrial and agricultural workers. 50% of students in the Mexican higher education system are enrolled in accounting and law majors

22. Globalization… Mexican universities now have to teach diciplines that are going to be critical for Mexico´s competitiveness… These disciplines are enabled/transformed by high speed networking Nanotechnology Bioinformatics Genetics Advanced materials TIC’s Robotics Health Science Earth Science Tourism Agro industry International business

23. 3) New ways to do research: expensive tools, data intensive, collaborative… Sloan Digital Sky Survey LHC ALMA Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation Bio Informatics Research Network

24. High capacity networks open the doors to higher education institutions to use advanced tools and participate in leading edge science projects

25. 4) New pedagogic models The new economy demands graduates that have skills that are enabled by TIC´s Learning on their own Capacity to investigate Collaborative work Scenario analysis Human Networking Electronic communications

26. Leading Mexican universities are adopting the pedagogic objectives like the following… No student should graduate without a thorough knowledge of personal computing tools. This will allow fast integration into productive work All students should be thought how ITC’s are transforming the diciplines they are studing All students, as part of their learning experience should participate in virtual learning communities

27. IIIInternet 2 in Mexico

28. The strategy for the development of the network was based upon the willingness of seven leading Universities to bear the cost of the installation and maintenance of a high speed backbone, on a pro-rata basis

29. On April 8th, 1999 a non-profit private corporation was formed to implement and fund the network Corporación Universitaria para el Desarrollo de Internet, A.C.

30. Cudi objectives Establish an advanced technology telecommunications network, based on Internet 2 technology, among Mexican Universities to: Support education and research Implement next generation Internet applications

31. IVA partnership with the telecommunications industry

32. Cudi has three membership categories: Academic Associates: Educational institutions that have financial responsibility in keeping the network running (17 associates) Institutional Associates: Government and private sector sponsors (5 associates) Affiliates: Educational institutions that are connected to the network without a financial responsibility to keep the network running (31 affiliates)

33. Telmex decides to support the project… Telmex donates 4,000 kilometers of high speed backbone, covering the 3 largest cities and tow links into the United States México Guadalajara Monterrey Tijuana To USA Backbone provided by Telmex 155 Mb/s Cd Juárez

34. Reasons for Telmex support No marginal costs. CUDI can not sell services to third parties nor provide commodity Internet services CUDI has created a market for last mile connections. Internet 2 links are lock-in products for the sale of other telecommunications products (commodity Internet, long distance, WiFi, personal computers, home Internet, etc.) Cudi universities are training very large numbers of technicians in advanced networking technology, that will demand and operate advanced networks

35. Reasons for Telmex support The CUDI network has become a test bed for new network features and protocols like IPv6, MPLS, high speed virtual private networks, VOIP, H323 videoconferencing, etc. The CUDI network has become a demonstration platform for new technologies. Telmex obtains significant publicity in academic events and scientific media as an enterprise that supports higher education and advanced technology.

36. Avantel (MCI-Banamex) decides to participate… To hold its share of the university market Avantel, the largest competitor to Telmex, decided to make a similar donation to CUDI. Other telecommunications firms like Cisco have made important donations to CUDI for similar reasons

37. Cancún Tijuana A SDSC Cd. Juárez Reynosa A HOUSTON vBNS The CUDI network has 8,000 kilometers of backbone… A UTEP México Guadalajara Monterrey 155Mbs

38. The CUDI network… Connects 76 higher learning institutions that have 2/3 of Mexico’s higher education enrollment and most of the research activities in the system Interconnection agreements in place allow Mexican universities to undertake collaborative projects with some 4,000 universities throughout the world

39. Advanced education and research applications Distance education Digital libraries and remote data bases Telecommunications development Telemedicine and health Life Sciences Earth Sciences Astronomy Visualization Art Grid computing Remote laboratories

40. IVPolicy recommendations

41. Internet 2 is about expanding the digital divide, not narrowing it The ones who need it should get it Let educators, researchers, businesses, hospitals and governments get it In a second instance increased education and higher income will drive penetration

42. Lets not all end in the wrong end of the digital divide Have´sHave not´s % of Population

43. Governments should promote NREN’s because they are important… 1.Build human capacity. Networks enable students to be educated in radically different ways. 2.Supports research and education in all areas of science 3.Allows scientists in developing countries to participate in leading-edge research independent of their location 4.Enables integration with the global scientific and technology community, 5.Speeds the use of leading-edge scientific knowledge to solve local problems by providing access to global, state-of-art knowledge resources 6.Stimulates innovation in the private sector

44. Governements should set aggressive goals for NREN’s Providing connectivity to every university and research center of at least 100Mpbs capacity to the global set of research and education networks by the end of 2006

45. NREN’s optimally should have the financial support of governments Because they are a public good Because Latin American governments finance most higher education and research in their respective countries

46. But NREN´s can happen without government financing: the case of Mexico Six leading universities decided to implement a high capacity network, bearing the cost on a prorated basis. They opened the use of the network to all Mexican higher education institution Other universities joined the project so as not to be left behind. This increased the association’s purchasing (and negotiating) power. The telecommunications industry supported the project because: It promotes present and future demand for telecommunications services Develops human resources Research and development Public relations

47. Thank you! ccasasus@cudi.edu.mx