First Technological
Gathering Held in Guanacaste
(InfoWeb Press) Numerous small and medium
sized companies or PYMES as abbreviated in
Spanish, financial and government
functionaries, Information Technology
employees and university researchers
gathered in Liberia during a Technology
get-together organized by the Science and
Technology Ministry (MICIT) and the
University of Costa Rica (UCR).
This with the intent of promoting the
exchange of information, experiences and
knowledge to achieve a greater union amongst
fields and solidify actions to work towards
achieving greater development and
competitiveness.
Eugenia Flores, the Minister of Science and
Technology stated that “ companies generate
better and more jobs and products as they
grow. We want to strengthen the PYMES and
contribute to their growth by linking them
with the universities and research centers.
Technology gatherings of this sort promote
interaction between participants and
encourage companies to improve their level
of technology and increase their innovation
capabilities. Without a doubt this reunion
is an opportunity for the PYMES of
Guanacaste”.
Producers from the entire province assisted
the event, betting on making renovation
technology present in their companies as a
means of surviving and growing in times of
crisis. The gathering enticed businessmen
and producers to get to know new projects to
help improve their competitive edge and form
strategic technological alliances which
impulse initiatives in conjunction with
research centers. This with the purpose of
obtaining funds from the Fund for Incentives
of the MICIT and other public and private
funds.
These sort of Technology gatherings are an
incentive set forth by the MICIT, which
searches to create a public space of
interrelation between the different –
academic, producers and public – sectors, as
well as the exhibition of products and
projects. The assistants also participated
in conferences which covered topics like
entrepreneurship and biofuels.
Concurrently it was announced that Costa
Rica invested 416 millions of dollars in
science and technology activities, in 2008.
According to the indicators of science,
technology and innovation officials this
amount represents an 18.8% increase from
2007, data to be released by the MICIT.
From that investment, 118,8 millions of
dollars where utilized for investigation and
development (0,4% from the PIB), $171,5
millions in education (0,57% from the PIB),
and $125,7 millions in science and
technology services (0,42% from the PIB).
The indicators are the result of an
exhaustive analysis conducted, and according
to Flores, “traces a general panorama of the
science, technology and innovation
activities that take place, of what the
country invests in research and development
(I+D), of the quality and quantity of our
human resource, of the efforts of the
private sector to be innovative, and of the
existing interaction between the
universities and companies”.
The study, presented the data of 2008, based
on five types of indicators: Science and
Technology Investment Indicators, Science
and Technology Human Resource Indicators;
Product Indicators; Information Technology
Indicators or (TICs), and Innovation
Indicators. |
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