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Editor's Note: This is one in a series of occasional news stories the Daily Newsbulletin will publish featuring a local small business currently providing a service or products to the Laboratory. The series is coordinated through the Lab's Small Business Program Office (SUP-4) and is designed to highlight services or products that small, local businesses provide to the Laboratory. To learn more about this initiative and the Lab's Small Business Program Office, call 7-4410 or write to sbo@lanl.gov by electronic mail.

New Mexico IT company helps Lab's LDRD program

The Laboratory Directed Research and Development program is an important instrument in strengthening Los Alamos' overall science and technology efforts while also helping maintain the Lab's core mission. And a small information technology company is doing its part to help.

Vitel Inc., of Albuquerque for the past few years has been working with Los Alamos' LDRD program to develop a database system to help manage the funding process, as well as the multitude of documents and research results generated by the program.

Through the LDRD program, the Lab can direct up to 6 percent of its annual budget for LDRD projects.

"From directed research, to exploratory research, to post-doctoral research and development, LDRD projects are vital to this Laboratory. But we have an obligation to the taxpayer as stewards of their investments and that's why we have to track the program's budget carefully," said Lisa Harris, program administrator in STB-LDRD. "Vitel has made our tracking more effective by developing a database system with which we can view the progress of the projects, as well as the status of the funding for those projects, in an easy and effective manner."

Vitel is now completing a three-year contract with LDRD. Yolanda Padilla, chief knowledge system architect for Vitel, said the company's relationship with the Laboratory has been positive. "We have successfully created a database that enables the program's staff to manage the research projects that support the Laboratory. Now that the primary technical aspect of the project is in place, we are adding enhancements to facilitate the system's transition to provide the LDRD staff increased capability and autonomy in operating the database," said Padilla.

Not only does the new database system enable LDRD staff to track its projects and funding, it also helps generate reports easily and in a timely manner. "Vitel has done a wonderful job in understanding our processes and procedures," said Harris. "In addition, [Vitel] provides immediate support when we need it, and we really appreciate that."

Vitel is an information technology company that designs, develops and implements custom knowledge management solutions in organizations. In addition to Los Alamos, Vitel works with Sandia National Laboratories. The company has 10 employees. To learn more about Vitel, go to http://www.vitel.com/ online.

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