Cooperation activities between groups of INCT-IBISAB
Due to severe shortage of technical and administrative staff in the Brazilian public universities, the INCT-IBISAB coordination allocated the Clinical Research Unit (UPC) employees to perform office and custom clearance of equipment and supplies requested by the INCT-IBISAB researchers. Another academic cooperation was to share activities in the area of informatics, as in the development of the Institute's internet home page, the creation of a management and database system to support the researchers from each thematic, the creation of a web system for management of multi-user laboratories and the acquisition and installation of a video conference facility, all described below. It is noteworthy that the web system for documentation is in advanced operation stage and the video conference room is already in process of assembling, while the others are already available online.
1 - Video conference room
In order to facilitate meetings, seminars and workshops among researchers from different locations in Brazil and abroad, involved in the IBISAB studies, and to save costs with lengthy travels, we planned to implement a video conferencing system that will allow simultaneous internet connections up to four different locations worldwide. The complete system was already purchased and is now in the IBISAB facilities. It is scheduled for functioning in the beginning of the second year INCT-IBISAB activities. This system will provide the optimization of scientific activities involving either national or international research groups.
2 - Website of IBISAB-INCT – Home page
As requested by CNPq, a website was built under the web address: www.ibisab.ufc.br. The initial challenge was to create an interactive environment with unique visual identity without being visually polluted and with the four different project themes presented. The subjects were divided into sections and on the top menu the user could get access to the main laboratory information as well as the scientific and technological publications of the Institute.
Moreover, database system implementation for document management is underway, tool that will aid project researchers with their tasks, as can be seen in the figure below.
3 - Website with access for a Multi-user Laboratory
Increasingly sharing of scientific equipment in the academic environment is critical, although difficulties in establishing the rational of equipment use may exist. To minimize these setbacks, the INCT-IBISAB decided to build a digital agenda to access scientific sharing cores, especially in those multi-user laboratories. The figure above depicts an example of on line access to one of these environments. We believe that on line accessing through the network will allow the dynamic registration and documentation and best performance of the shared equipment users. The system is on line at: www.nempi.ufc.br, coordinated by Drs. Reinaldo Oriá and Gerly A.C. Brito.