Los Libertadores Centers of Excellence
This initiative proposes to share worldwide expertise, to facilitate distributed problem solving, creating the critical mass needed for the development of regional projects in areas such as: education, globalization of accreditation standards, research and development, intellectual property development, capital acquisition, and social responsibility, among others. LL will foster technology transfer and the development of social and business entrepreneurs through the implementation of “Centers of Excellence” – unique clusters of businesses and institutions that share common interests.
Los Libertadores supports the aforementioned areas through consulting services, business development, assisting in the establishment of strategic alliances/joint ventures, and the promotion of collaborative partnerships in general.
The ISTEC Model will help in bridging the Digital Divide that afflicts all nations. This Digital Divide can be transformed into Digital Opportunities with Information Technology (DD … to … DO IT!).
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Centers of Excellence Projects
Information Communication Technologies for Social Development, (ICTSD):
The objective of the Information Communication Technologies for Social Development (ICTSC) initiative is to spur an international strategy for generating and supporting collaborative activities among academia, industry, government, and marginalized communities in the Ibero-American region to promote community development through the use of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs). Additionally, an overarching goal is to challenge communities to develop new organizing tools that can contribute to a bottom-up approach to cultural and socio-economic development that is created by rather than for community members. This proactive and action-oriented approach is aimed at creating the synergy needed to empower indigenous communities to develop innovate ways to use technology applications that improve economic development and the quality of life within their communities.
Accomplishments:
- Mapped the entire South Valley of Albuquerque and supported the development of a governance structure to manage water resources in the Atrisco Valley (see: www.svraa.org)
- Helped develop La Plazita Institute as a place of synergy for the South Valley Community in Albuquerque (see: http://www.laplazitainstitute.org/)
- Collaborated in the development of a compilation of papers in the area of “Creating Digital Heritage Content: Bridging Communities and mediationg perspectives.” Paper presented to UNESCO for a compilation of papers on an issue about Digital Heritage Content
- Participated in the World Archaelogical conference in Dublin, Ireland where a the paper “Creating Bridges between Scientific Inquiry and the Epistemology of People” was presented
- Created the International Advisory Group on the Protection of Traditional Knowledge and Natural Resources
- Organized the I IT Challenge on Social Development
- Trained Indigenous and Community leaders in the development of Transnational Networks to secure the Human Rights of Local and Indigenous Communities
- Has served in special tasks at the United Nations to protect and preserved traditional knowledge associated to genetic resources
The following videos on Social Responsibility, Sustainable Development, and Cultural Diversity were developed under the ICTSD Project: Social Sustainable Systems and El Aguila y el Cóndor (available on our “Videos” tab).
If you are interested in learning more about ICTSD, please contact Jorge Garcia, ICTSD Director, at jgarcia@istec.org
Science and Technology Entrepreneurships for Economic Development, (STEED):
The objective of this Program is to combine the Ibero-American science and technology potential with global opportunities in the creation of partnerships with universities, governmental organizations, research parks, suppliers, and venture capitalists, among others.
A major objective is to incubate and capitalize future high-tech companies that emanate from/through Istec members. LL also strives to assist in developing ideas from laboratory/conceptual environments into viable commercial options. This translates into the need for venture capital, intellectual property (IP) protection, project management, and marketing services.
Examples of Initiative Outcomes:
Cika Project – a technology park model that is modular for multi-country implementation. Interested in an overview of this techno-park model? Click the image for more detail:
GRANA-Istec™: A self-study platform that combines on-line and in situ training tools for the assessment of academic programs. Based on international accreditation metrics, it also integrates the local academic and regulatory contexts. This program also helps institutions in the development and optimization of their strategic planning, and in the institutionalization of a culture of quality and continuous improvement.
GRANA-Istec has been successfully launched at four institutions of higher learning, the most recent being Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL), Ecuador in July 2010. This is an example of a 7-year project involving collaborative research on global accreditation metrics for engineering and IT education, development of software, an online self-study process, trademarks, etc. From idea (incubation) to an effective tool (action)… that can now contribute to the development of the global engineer and to the quality of education in the region.
To learn more about GRANA-Istec, please visit our Accreditation page.
For more information and to explore opportunities under the Los Libertadores (LL) Initiative, please contact Dr. Ramiro Jordán at rjordan@istec.org
