The Dean of Research (PRP) at Unicamp has just digitized all its processes relating to Teaching, Research and Extension Support Fund (Faepex), including requests for scholarships and research grants. All support offered to teachers has now been finalized. This process began in mid-2014 and completed several stages. “The digital signature is missing, which should end in the next few days. We will then have a digitalization initiative to support pioneering research in terms of universities”, says the University’s Vice-Rector of Research, Gláucia Pastore.
Digital certification is an electronic file that accompanies a digitally signed document and whose content is encrypted. Contains information that identifies the person you are dealing with on the internet. The digital signature proves that the person created or agrees with a digitally signed document, just as a handwritten signature demonstrates the authorship of a written document.
According to the dean, previously when assistance was obtained from Faepex, it was necessary to go to the Unicamp Development Foundation (Funcamp) to sign the grant agreement, which is the official document to obtain this support. Now the teacher will no longer need to leave their room to sign this agreement in person.
The digital signature is part of the Brazilian Digital Certification System. “It is done through a kind of pendrive, a card, which can be purchased. Another possibility we are looking into is making it available for free. The idea is that the product does not represent expenses, because its cost is 160 reais on average per teacher”, he reveals.
The system used is developed using free software, which does not prevent a teacher from wanting to have their digital subscription paid. “He will be able to do this but, as an institution, we think it is advisable for him to opt for the cost-free way”, he suggests. “This initiative has the support of the Computing Center (CCUEC), in the person of Professor José Raimundo and his team”, he informs .
Gláucia Pastore explains that the pendrive is placed by the teacher on the computer and that will be his electronic signature. “Then it is possible to sign the grant terms remotely. You will no longer need to travel to Funcamp. It will be the end of a manual process stage to give way to another entirely digitalized one", she states.
