Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil receives grant for IT development

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency awarded a $356,920 grant to the Companhia de Processamento de Dados do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul,  Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil's state information technology company on Friday.

The grant will provide technical assistance to help the company develop a roadmap to expand the state’s fiber and wireless broadband network, and to modernize its existing data center.

“This project builds upon the efforts of Brazilian state information technology companies to modernize and expand their IT services,” USTDA Regional Director Nathan Younge said. “The grant highlights how our countries can cooperate to improve digital inclusion throughout Brazil.”

The assistance will deliver a strategy to expand the state’s existing hybrid fiber and wireless broadband network in order to provide connectivity and e-government services throughout the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul.

The project includes the development of data center specifications, a statewide hybrid broadband network architecture, and implementation plans for the modernization of both the data center and broadband network. It will also evaluate new business models that the company can apply.

This project builds on previous USTDA efforts to support IT modernization across Brazil, including ongoing technical assistance with the state of Sergipe.