The BELLA Programme

The BELLA Programme, initially implemented by RedCLARA and GÉANT and co-financed by the European Union (EU), began on June 1, 2016, to meet the long-term interconnectivity needs of the research and education communities in Europe and Latin America, through the BELLA-S project (which built the ELLALink submarine cable to connect the two continents directly for the first time) and the BELLA-T project (which expanded the capacity of RedCLARA's South American backbone), both completed in 2022. In March 2023, the programme expanded its scope to the Caribbean with the launch of the BELLA II project, led by RedCLARA and, like the previous initiatives, co-financed by the EU (DG-INTPA).

BELLA-S (completed)
Building the European Link to Latin America – Submarine. The initiative commenced on June 1, 2016, and achieved successful completion in October 2022. The European Union (EU) funded it through DG-CONNECT (5 million euros) and DG-DEFIS (8.56 million euros). BELLA-S (It should be noted that people customarily referred to this project as BELLA) sought to obtain the Irrevocable Right of Use (IRU) of 40 optical channels on a direct submarine cable between Portugal and Brazil, and to establish two 100 Gbps links for the GÉANT-RedCLARA connection and the EU's Copernicus Earth Observation Programme. The successfully implemented submarine cable, named ELLALink, signifies the link that brings ELLA (Europe Link with Latin America) to life.

BELLA-T (completed)
Building the European Link to Latin America – Terrestrial. The initiative commenced on June 1, 2016, and achieved successful completion in December 2022. It was co-financed by the European Union, through DG-DEVCO, and Latin America's National Research and Education Networks (NRENs). BELLA-T strengthened RedCLARA's South American backbone, particularly in Chile, Brazil, and Ecuador. The BELLA-S project established a submarine cable that would enable a direct connection between Europe and Latin America, making this advancement essential to fully leverage the new capabilities.

BELLA II (ongoing)
Building the Europe Link to Latin America and the Caribbean. The project started in March 2023, within the framework of the BELLA Programme. The European Union's DG-INTPA co-finances BELLA II, contributing 13 million euros (€13,000,000) over the project's 48-month duration (expected to conclude in February 2027). RedCLARA, the executing and coordinating institution, aims to supplement this amount—through partnerships with governments, private companies, banks, and others—with at least €15 million to achieve the project’s plans and objectives: strengthening and expanding the digital ecosystem of Latin America and the Caribbean, enabling relationships and exchanges between companies, research centres, educational institutions, and national research and education networks that align with the strategic goals in education, science, technology, and innovation of LAC and Europe. BELLA II will seek to form national co-investment consortia to complement the EU's funding and achieve the connectivity and development goals of the digital ecosystem countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. BELLA II is one of the four pillars of the Digital Alliance between Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean, and it is part of the EU's investment agenda, known as Global Gateway.