Costa Rica Launches
Google Innovation
Community
Costa Ricans now has the
opportunity to post its
own innovative ideas on
a new Google community
launched by the
Ministerio de Ciencia y
Tecnología (MICIT) -
Ministry of Science of
Costa Rica - last month.
"Our country lacks
innovation culture. It
prevents the
comprehension of what
innovation means and how
to promote it. We have
to change that," Eugenia
Flores, ministra de
Ciencia, said at a press
conference.
"Costa Rica needs to
stimulate the productive
skills and the
competitive abilities of
its people. This Google
group is part of this
hope and could be vital
to build our innovative
capacity."
The forum, which is open
to all Costa Ricans,
will also be used to
announce free
activities, training
program or courses,
scholarships and
opportunities to obtain
financial support for
scientific and economic
research.
MICIT also plans to post
information about Costa
Rican innovations on
YouTube and Facebook,
Flores said. In
addition, a document
promoting the project
has been sent to every
school in the country.
So far, 104 people have
joined the group and
have contributed more
than 20 suggestions.
MICIT will establish a
group to study the best
suggestions and
determine whether they
can be developed
further.
One post discussed the
importance of
introducing the Linux
System in public
schools. "This
alternative could permit
the use of obsolete
computers without an
operating system," said
Andrés Mora, a computer
scientist, on the
website. "If you have a
good computer with the
Linux System, you can
share this operating
system with other
computers. You can
create a network of
'dumb' computers
connected to a good
one."
The initiative is part
of a government project
called the National
System of Science and
Technology. The project
is based on a report
that reveals why Costa
Rica — despite having
the human and
technological resources
— has low levels of
innovation.
Jorge Andres Diaz, a
professor at the
University of Costa
Rica, said he hopes
people will use the
information and
connections to make
science really happen.
"Developing countries
have the tendency to
talk about science and
technology; we need to
'do' science and
technology — making it
have an impact on our
day-to-day lives,
transforming and
improving it." |
