Connecting Transforms Lives: The RNP documentary series which, through inspiring human stories, highlights the true value of the academic network

Brazil’s National Education and Research Network (RNP) launched the documentary series “Connecting Transforms Lives” in late 2025. The series, which released its third episode on 3 June 2026, puts people at the centre and shows how education, research and innovation generate impacts that go beyond technology and transform lives. RedCLARA invites the global community of National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) to discover this valuable initiative.

Three short documentaries, with more to follow shortly, make up the series through which RNP presents real-life stories originating in academic and scientific settings, where collaboration, shared knowledge and human connections become drivers of development and social change. As RNP explains on its website, the initiative stems from a conviction forged over decades of work: technology is the means, but human transformation is the true purpose.

Under the slogan “Connecting Means Transforming Lives”, the series celebrates the diversity and strength of the community that makes up the RNP system: teachers, students, researchers, technicians and professionals who contribute day in, day out to the advancement of knowledge in Brazil. The series aims to highlight how the relationships forged through education, science and innovation generate bonds of support, growth and opportunities that endure over time.

The episodes take viewers on a journey through different regions of the country and showcase deeply human experiences. “Connections That Save”, the opening episode, tells a story of solidarity that emerged following the floods which affected the state of Rio Grande do Sul in 2024, highlighting the mutual support among members of the academic community at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS).

The second episode, “Network of Connections”, follows the journey of a young student from Maranhão who found in university research a gateway to new opportunities, building a mentoring relationship that transformed his academic project into a life-changing experience.

The third episode, released in early June 2026, “Expanding Knowledge” takes the audience to the interior of Goiás to show how the convergence of scientific knowledge and traditional wisdom can create new opportunities for communities, strengthening the ties between researchers and rural producers.

With over three decades of connecting education and research institutions across Brazil through its advanced infrastructure and digital services, RNP highlights in this series an idea that also resonates throughout the Latin American community of academic networks: networks not only connect organisations, but also people, knowledge and shared dreams.

RedCLARA invites the RNIE communities across the region to watch this series and reflect on the role our networks play in creating opportunities, fostering scientific collaboration and promoting human development.

The full series is available at: https://conteudo.rnp.br/serie-institucional