The Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria (INIA), Uruguay’s leading agricultural research institute, partnered with us to build a modern web portal using Drupal. The project aims to centralize access to applications and services, enhancing usability for researchers and administrators. Drupal’s flexibility has delivered a scalable, user-friendly platform, now live since 2023, with ongoing support driving continuous improvements.
INIA’s existing digital infrastructure struggled to manage its vast array of research data and applications, making it difficult for teams across its network—including stations in Canelones, Colonia, Tacuarembó, Treinta y Tres, and Salto—to access and share information efficiently. The goals were to modernize the portal, centralize access to diverse services, enhance user accessibility, and support ongoing updates within a year, with a strong emphasis on improving information architecture to simplify navigation through extensive content.
Requirements included a responsive interface for editors, seamless integration with existing databases and external systems, custom tools for content and user management, and a well-organized structure to handle the institute’s extensive research materials. Stakeholder workshops shaped a user-focused solution, prioritizing a clear information architecture to make vast datasets easily discoverable. The implementation team—project managers, developers, architects, Quality Assurance (QA) specialists, and DevOps experts—designed a platform with intuitive navigation and streamlined workflows, drawing on proven approaches from past projects to ensure robust content organization.
The project, completed within the one-year timeline, delivered a production-ready portal that was launched successfully in 2023. The outcome is a platform that significantly enhances information retrieval and team collaboration, with load times and accessibility optimized for INIA’s network. Since completion, the team has been providing ongoing support and continuous improvements, refining the information architecture and adding features to meet evolving research needs.
- Significant improvement in content management efficiency
- Increased accessibility for research teams
Drupal is shaping a powerful platform to advance our agricultural research mission.
Drupal was selected for its ability to create a scalable, integrated platform tailored to INIA’s diverse needs, offering intuitive tools for non-technical users. Its open-source community ensures ongoing enhancements, making it ideal for managing complex content and services across Uruguay’s agricultural research network, with adaptability for future growth.
Technical Specifications
Drupal version:
These were chosen to provide editors with simple content tools, smooth links to existing systems, and adaptable access features—focusing on usability and integration to meet INIA’s research and administrative needs without technical barriers.
