The Pan-African Resource Network connects 300 scientists, researchers and other clinicians at about a dozen sites in five African countries. Its goal is to increase the speed and efficiency of data sharing, which is essential in the search for an AIDS vaccine. "It definitely accelerates the search for an AIDS vaccine," says Ronaldo Lima, senior director of IT at International Aids Vaccine Initiative Inc. (IAVI), a New York-based nonprofit organization.

IAVI operates as a hub for AIDS vaccine research and development. As part of its mission, the 9-year-old organization is implementing a reliable IT infrastructure to transmit clinical and laboratory data from multiple remote sites to centralized databases.

Lima says establishing this connectivity in sub-Saharan Africa presents challenges that don"t exist in developed countries. Existing computer networks aren"t always reliable, the electricity supply can be undependable, and government regulations often slow the implementation of new technologies.

The Pan-African Resource Network, which dates back to 2002, has to contend with those issues and do so in a cost-effective way, Lima adds.

The solution involves the use of hybrid network systems that increase the reliability and cost-efficiency of long-distance data transmissions. IAVI workers consider the bandwidth, technology and service reliability in each region when deciding on systems. They opted for a radio link Internet connection in Rwanda, but they used a satellite connection in Uganda.

While Lima says this network can speed the development of an AIDS vaccine, he sees benefits well beyond that: "Even after we have an AIDS vaccine, all this capacity-building will help people have more access to information and knowledge."