Photo: Telemedicine project at Federal University of Sergipe

Cisco and Federal University of Sergipe (UFS) have announced the progress in their strategic partnership, which began with the deployment of the telemedicine pilot project in 2014, in Sergipe, Northeast of Brazil. The program "Connected Healthy Children" has improved quality of care to patients and reduced travel time for receiving specialized care.

Both have signed a technical cooperation agreement to promote joint actions for innovation in health, education and oil & gas sectors. The agreement provides teaching, research and development, with measurement and common dissemination of results, taking advantage of the collaboration infrastructure implemented in the telemedicine project and the infrastructure of Cisco IoE Innovation Center Rio de Janeiro (COI).

The telemedicine initiative combines Cisco Collaboration tools such as Show and Share®, WebEx® and Jabber® with UFS' efforts to improve access to specialized care remotely for rural children of Sergipe - in Family Health Clinics of Tobias Barreto and Lagarto cities - and in professionals' continuing education. Cisco recently announced first results of the project with a report that pointed out that telemedicine not only improved quality of care to patients but also reduced travel time for receiving specialized care. The pilot project was officially completed by the end of April, when UFS took the responsibility for consolidating the operation and monitoring the program's progress.

Among the activities planned in education there are enhancement programs for teachers based on the technology use in educational environments, workshops for solution design and development aligned to the Brazilian Education Technology Master Plan, in addition to methodological assistance. In the oil & gas area, researchers at the Federal University of Sergipe will have access to pioneering projects developed by Cisco at the IoE Innovation Center, and the opportunity to collaborate on innovation projects.

Now, with the technical cooperation agreement, the strategic partnership between Cisco and UFS advances to another phase in which, as well as to continue Healthcare activities, the two entities will work together on scaling collaboration impacts and existing infrastructure to foster innovation in education and oil & gas. The agreement represents an important innovation channel between industry and academy, both for reference work and for co-development with hospitals and other universities of specific solutions aimed on these areas.

In healthcare, actions should be intensified in order to improve understanding of telemedicine needs on a national perspective, stimulating dialogue, funding and the adoption of new processes. Technical cooperation also includes experiences exchange in order to contribute to the UFS Medicine Practice Center evolution, remote participation of professionals in events and a testing laboratory at the University, with practical education and simulations for students (such as surgeries and procedures), through Cisco IoE Innovation Center Rio de Janeiro solutions.

The UFS partnering with the Cisco Innovation Center will collaborate with other institutions by hosting visits and acting as a reference for the power of Cisco's solutions and partnership.

Supporting Quotes

Mário Adriano dos Santos, general director of Federal University of Sergipe in Lagarto city

"With the closing of telemedicine pilot project in Sergipe, Cisco left a very large infrastructure legacy for UFS. In this new agreement, we will keep the doors of the two institutions open in a way that science and technology, education, oil and gas partnerships could be mirrored within the laboratories of our University. So if Cisco develops a new technology, it can be used in our spaces and serve as learning basis for our students' knowledge. It is a new moment that should be celebrated. 

Angelo Antoniolli, dean of the Federal University of Sergipe 

"Our intention is to build a new relationship model between university and society. We have much insisted on this point, with the belief that through this approach we can achieve balance in an unequal society such as ours. Technology is part of this development and we are aware that this country will not move forward if we keep the current saturated paradigm of education. With Cisco's help and its technology we can overcome this barrier and make the appropriation of new educational tools."

Nina Lualdi, senior director of strategy and planning, Cisco Brasil  

"The cooperation agreement between Cisco and the Federal University of Sergipe includes three important points: first, it is a real reference for IT solutions successfully applied to health - now also scalable to other areas. Secondly, it opens a national dialogue on organizational adoption processes necessary for innovation. Finally, it consolidates a bridge between private sector and academy, leveraging new solution co-development relevant to the market and transformative for society."