Linking researchers, teachers and students through projects, technological services, and scientific development initiatives to enable a cycle of constant growth among academic institutions is the core mission of Ecuador’s national research and education network CEDIA (Ecuadorian Corporation for the Development of Research and Academia).
CEDIA consists of 41 Higher Education institutions as full members and 21 high schools, research institutes and other institutions as associate members.
More than a network provider
For the last 18 years, the work of CEDIA has constantly evolved; initially it was mainly focused on improving the connectivity and technological conditions of its members. The next step was to strongly support research processes; and since 2018, with the creation of the Innovation and Technology Transfer (ITT) Team, CEDIA seeks to act as a link between academia and society.
The ITT team started off by generating what was called “The Innovation Pact”, which is a formal agreement signed by institutions interested in working in a coordinated way on innovation initiatives around the country. During this period, 35 organisations, including public service, industry, finance and non-profit institutions, have joined the pact. This represents, without a doubt, a crucial milestone in the link-up of CEDIA’s activities, and it has been the foundation for the success of the different programs and projects carried out by the team during the last 3 years.
Submitted by Jane Gifford
