Research note: Research services for distant learners: the OLADE project

Introduction The University of Calgary/OLADE Project is a unique and creative example of a functional partnership focus-ing on education, research and study in a global environment. The Project spans continents, integrates educational and government entities, and crosses cultural boundaries. OLADE, the Latin American Energy Organization, was founded in 1973 by 26 member countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to examine challenges and opportunities related to the developing energy crisis of the time. OLADE recognized the value of collaboration, extra-regional cooperation and the competitive advantage of working together. The area was one of the pioneer regions in the world established to promote energy development, use, and conservation by one centralized and specialized regional agency. Successful past projects have included energy programs for rural and marginal urban areas in Haiti, the Camisea natural gas project in Peru, and electric power interconnections in Chile and the Andes; recent developments are focusing on such projects as water resource management in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Guatemala and the Amazon Environmental Institute in Columbia. These activities have helped OLADE to realize its goals: introduction of planning processes in the energy sector; promotion