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Research
and Development Laboratories Laboratory facilities are designed to be modular and flexible, providing an environment for a wide-ranging adaptable laboratory system. Many ISTEC member institutions have similar laboratory facilities and the Consortium is presently upgrading curricula and equipment in telecommunications, digital signal processing, microprocessors/controllers, and other areas. Through these methods, member institutions in every country where ISTEC is represented have gained access to updated networking technology, telecommunications equipment, advanced software platforms, and new computer equipment. Other services provided by this initiative include the coordination of sub-regional training workshops and on-site trainings. Additionally, the creation of the first phase of the ISTEC Distributed Database (BDDIS) is underway, with the goal of eventually creating information repositories to share (via the Internet) ideas, techniques, methods, and materials, and to minimize the duplication of efforts. The most recent effort, called “Hot Lab Support”, provides expert assistance and support to personnel involved in related laboratory projects. In conjunction with the Portal project, this repository of information will facilitate transnational joint projects as well as create a collaborative culture among researchers and scientists. All of this information is available to ISTEC members involved in the R&D initiative. Another benefit of this mechanism is the creation of a vehicle for university-industry collaborations. With the assistance of Motorola Inc., the Consortium has installed more than 70 laboratory sites throughout Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula using microprocessor, microcontroller, and DSP technologies. In the first phase, a laboratory facility is provided with Motorola's 68000 family of microprocessors. The second phase consists in equipping these facilities with 68HC11 microcontroller technology. A third phase involves the installation of DSP56000 and DSP96000 Digital Signal Processor technologies where appropriate. The efforts made up to this point have resulted in the training of over 20,000 engineers in the use of these technologies. As of recent efforts, there is a plan to upgrade existing labs with the new M·CORE and DSP technologies, and eventually expand the number of laboratories to at least one per institution. After the 1998 General Assembly, Consortium members have agreed to assist Motorola Inc. in the development of the M·CORE and DSP technologies, including the design of an educational trainer and the creation of supporting literature. Through this initiative, ISTEC provides a common platform for education and R&D. It provides member universities with the latest tools (hardware, software), and serves as a vehicle of interaction between university and industry, and university and university. ISTEC seeks to create a standardized model that includes joint projects among institutions, the exchange of personnel, advancement of industry, information exchange, and collaboration with the other ISTEC Initiatives. The Consortium continues to foster industry support through donations and involvement by several members. Currently, Nortel Networks is leading the Multicom-21 project, to create synergetic virtual centers of telecommunications for research, education, and services. Motorola Inc. is leading a project to create virtual design centers located at Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil, of chips and systems-on-a-chip for research, education, and services. Other examples of this collaboration involve Fluke Co., (instrumentation and metrology), Khoral Research (image processing and software development software), Mentor Graphics, Synopsis, Newark Electronics, Microsoft, and Sun Microsystems.
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