The event, that is reaching its fifth edition, will count on the participation of international experts to discuss the challenges of the technologies of Information and Communication in Latin America. Registrations are still open.

The problems and challenges in the field of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) will be debated in the coming days 6, 7 and 8 of July, 2015, in the city of Viña del Mar, Chile, on the occasion of the 5th Conference of Directors of Information and Communications Technologies of the Latin American Universities, TICAL2015.

More than 400 professionals, including researchers, ICT directors and academics, are expected for the meeting, which will discuss the role of ICT in the support of areas such as Education, Management, Research, Extension and Information Security within the higher education institutions of the region. Therefore, TICAL will also count on the participation of international experts who will conduct the main sessions of the Conference.

From Europe will come Eloy Rodrigues (Director of the University of Minho Documentation Services, Portugal) and Hans Pongratz (Senior Vice President of Systems and IT Services and CEO of the Technical University of Munich, Germany); from Latin America, Andres Holguin (Coordinator for Technological Research and Innovation and Information Security at the University of Los Andes, Colombia) and the MSc. Manuel Moreno Castañeda (Rector of the Virtual University System of the University of Guadalajara, Mexico.); and from North America, Susan Grajek (EDUCAUSE Vice President for Data, Research and Analysis at, United States).

One of the main innovations of the 2015 edition of TICAL is the presentation of interinstitutional collaboration projects, which will show to the public some of the initiatives developed jointly by the universities of the region. The traditional call for papers, in turn, received again a lot of nominations: 171, of which 46 were selected for presentation at the Conference, representing countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru and the United Kingdom.

The 5th TICAL Conference is organized by the Latin American Cooperation of Advanced Networks (RedCLARA), the National University Network of Chile (REUNA) and Edutic. The event will be held at the Hotel Enjoy, in Viña del Mar, Chile, between July 6 and 8 of 2015 and the registrations are still open. For more information, please visit the website of the event: http://tical2015.redclara.net/

Rector of the System of Virtual University of the University of Guadalajara, the MSc. Manuel Moreno Castañeda is the most experienced of the international speakers of TICAL2015, to be held between July 6 and 8, in Viña del Mar, Chile. Throughout his 50-year professional career, Castañeda worked in various organizations and projects and is coming to TICAL to share his knowledge with the participants. In this interview, he evaluates the importance of the Conference for the ICT development in the region and reveals his motivations for attending the event.

What are your expectations for the Conference and your participation in it?

First, I expect that all may learn in a collaborative environment and collective learning that will give continuity to the dynamics and the quality that characterizes TICAL. Second, I hope that the results of this conference can have great impact for the technology development and education in Latin America. With this purpose and in this environment, I hope and I will give my all to meet the expectations of TICAL participants.

What motivated you to accept the invitation to attend the conference?

Among other reasons, I could quote two very important. First, the prestige and the recognition of TICAL’s work for the development of technologies and the socialization of knowledge. Also, the invitation of Carmen Gloria Labbé, in whom I trust and admire for her personal qualities, professionalism and dedication.

How do you evaluate the importance of events like TICAL for the development of the ICT and the professionals of the area?

TICAL has vital importance in this context for many reasons: the relevance of its theme, the diversity of the origin of its assistants, the wide variety of applications, the transcendence of situations dealt there and, above all, the establishment of relationships and the possibilities of collaborative projects.

Talking about the issues that will be addressed by you in the Conference, what is the most important thing you would like to highlight?

The importance of the personal qualities and professional skills of teachers before and beyond technology, especially for the better use of it.

Viña del Mar is known by being a city of many beauties. What did you think about the election of Viña to be the event venue?

It was an excellent choice. I have been in Viña just one time, after a meeting in Santiago and I always had the desire to come back. TICAL will be the opportunity.

Director of Documentation Services in the University of Minho, the Portuguese academic Eloy Rodrigues is one of the international speakers of TICAL2015, to be held between July 6 and 8, in Viña del Mar, Chile. In this interview, Rodrigues talks about his expectations for the conference and reveals the most important thing he will share with the participants of TICAL.

What are your expectations for the Conference and your participation in it?

I hope to better understand the reality of the Latin American universities, the challenges they are facing, the strategies they are developing to address these challenges and, in particular, the role of the information systems and the ICT in those strategies.

I also hope to contribute to TICAL participants experience by helping them to learn and think about the challenges and opportunities that the open science presents to the university information systems.

What motivated you to cross the Atlantic and join the event?

I accepted the invitation to participate in TICAL becuause of the desire to, as I said, better understand the reality of Latin American universities, but also to share with colleagues in the region my view of the role of the institutional repositories and because of the opportunity that I will have to make some additional visits and meetings in Chile and Peru, related to open access repositories.

How do you evaluate the importance of events like TICAL for the development of ICT and the professionals of the area?

Events like TICAL are always a great opportunity to share knowledge and experiences, either through the formal conference sessions or through personal contacts during the breaks and the social program. It is a favorable opportunity not only to meet new colleagues, but also to establish new collaborations, partnerships and projects.

Talking about the issues that will be addressed by you in the Conference, what is the most important thing you would like to highlight?

The scientific research is an international and global activity, supported by information infrastructures (e-infrastructures). On the other hand, there is a strong tendency for sharing and opening its results, which results in a growing recognition that the major investments that our societies are making in Science must have a greater impact if their results are openly available.

In this context, I intend to emphasize the role that the institutional repositories can play in the new environment of the digital, global, distributed and open science. In fact, the repositories can be the essential tool for the management of the search results (publications and data) produced locally and, simultaneously, through the adoption of interoperability standards, to participate and contribute to the global network of open access repositories. This network, supported by universities and other research centers around the world, is a sustainable, equitable and efficient way for the academic and scientific community to ensure the curating, the dissemination and the sharing of knowledge it produces.

Is this your first time in Chile? What do you know about the country and what do you want to do in your spare time during the Conference?

Yes, this will be my first visit to Chile. I hope to have the opportunity to meet other parts of the country after finishing TICAL because I'll be there a few more days for some additional visits and meetings, and also for a few days off at the end.

The colombian Diana Rocio Plata Arango has a curriculum that many would like to have: she is a Systems Engineer, specialized in Management of Information Systems and is also Master in Computing Science. Her willingness to learn, however, does not end and will lead her to TICAL for the fifth time. In this interview, part of our series "Five questions to", she talks about her experiences in the past editions of TICAL, praises the organization of the event and tells us about her expectations for the 2015 edition. (Photo: ProactivaNET)

Hello, Diana. Tell us a little about yourself and about your formation.

Hello! I am Diana Rocio Plata Arango and live in Tunja, a city that is the capital of the Boyacá department and is located in the central region of Colombia, where there are beautiful scenery, delicious cuisine and a rich historical and religious heritage. I'm a Systems Engineer, specialized in Management Information Systems and Master in Computing Science. Currently, I work with the Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia (UPTC) and coordinate the Group of Organization and Systems, which corresponds to the University technology area. I have also worked as a teacher and in some research projects related to IT.

What was your first contact with the advanced networks and how do you evaluate its development since then?

My first contact was when my university joined the regional network UNIRED and then the national network RENATA. It was there that I began to know the services that the networks offered and the existing possibilities. I now see how more services are offered through these networks and how we can already see the results of collaborative projects undertaken by them, reason why I consider that the advanced networks are already consolidated as guarantees of important research projects and innovation for countries.

In a context like this, what is the importance of TICAL for the development of the networks and the professionals in the field of ICT?

TICAL allows the professionals in ICT to know in first-hand the projects and experiences that are being developed in different universities and the cooperation projects undertaken in the networks. Thus, it allows us to identify how we should prepare to be part of these projects or generate initiatives within our institutions to carry out these same projects.

You participated in all four editions of TICAL and even presented papers. What lessons did you get from these different experiences?

TICAL is an event that became the only one in Latin America to bring together the IT managers of the Universities, what makes it a meeting place where we can share positive experiences and learn strategies to overcome problems that are common in the IT areas of the universities. Moreover, it is the opportunity to meet professionals from other countries, share experiences and create bonds of friendship.

With the presentation of papers in the conference, I had the opportunity to tell the experience of the university where I work, the UPTC, on the implementation of the ISO 20000-1: 2011 and ISO 27001: 2013 standards for the area of IT. It was a very interesting experience because I presented papers on the evolution of this project and today there are universities in Latin America with whom we are in contact because they also initiated similar projects of implementation of ISO standards.

There is another beautiful thing in TICAL, that is the friendliness and the warmth of all the people involved in the organization. We feel very welcomed, because they are very kind and attentive to resolve any problems that arise; they think of all the details in order to give us an unforgettable experience in TICAL.

Personally and professionally, what are your expectations for the TICAL2015, to be held in Chile? And why Colombians should participate?

My expectations are geared to participate in the Conference presenting a paper and sharing the experiences of the conclusion of our project of implementation of the standards in which we are already certified. We are the first university in Latin America to rely on these two certifications.

I also hope to meet colleagues from other countries, friendships made on other editions of TICAL and, obviously, meet new experiences and new colleagues.

Join TICAL is an experience that Colombians should not miss. It is an environment full of warmth, to share knowledge, to know important and interesting experiences about what is being done elsewhere in the world, and the opportunity to learn about another cultures and professionals from many places. Being part of TICAL gives you professional and personal knowledge.