The Ana G. Mendez University System, in representation of the Corporation for the Academic, Scientific, and Research Network of Puerto Rico (CRACIN for it spanish acronym) requests support to help enhance and upgrade the connection with the National Science Foundation Network (NSFNET). This is part of a comprehensive plan to communicate the potential network user institutions among themselves,m and with the major academic and research institutions in the mainland and U.S. Virgin Islands, to improve collaborative research in science, technology and engineering at the local and national levels. The primary objective f the proposal is to provide a dedicated line of access between Puerto Rico and the U.S. NSFNET for competitive researchers within the Academic, Scientific, and Research Network of Puerto Rico, who are involved in research and scholarly activities at their respective institutions. The enhanced connection to NSFNET will also provide access to and promote the development of linkages between the Caribbean countries and the U. S. mainland. The universities need greater functionality and network speed to be able to access supercomputers, libraries, and make file transfers along with being able to implement a more reliable mail system. Students and faculty research will benefit from the link. This is also a unique opportunity for the schools to explore innovative educational resources.
