 he Executive Education Program in Managing Science, Technology, and Innovation, sponsored by COLCIENCIAS, was an initiative designed to provide senior policymakers from the Andean Region with training in cutting-edge science and technology policies and practices. Forty-two government, academic, and business leaders from Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela participated in the program, which consisted of a series of workshops developed by COLCIENCIAS, LASPAU, the Universidad del Rosario, and the University of California at San Diego in collaboration with the Comunidad Iberoamérica de Sistemas de Conocimiento, the Universidad de Antioquia, and the Universidade de São Paulo.
The program began with an orientation in Bogota, Colombia, followed by five intensive seminars held in three countries.
The first seminar was held at the Universidad del Rosario in Bogota in November 2005. Over the course of five days, participants were provided with an overview of science and technology development in the context of both the global knowledge economy and the Andean region.
The second seminar took place at the Universidade de São Paulo in Brazil in March 2006. This workshop delved into systems of innovation development at the global, national, and regional levels and addressed the role of science and technology in meeting human needs and aiding the transition to sustainability.
For the third seminar, participants traveled to the University of California at San Diego in April 2006. Through site visits and meetings with leaders in the field, participants were given an overview of the biotechnology sector in San Diego as a practical example of an ongoing effort to create a regional innovation cluster based on university-industry partnerships.
The fourth seminar took place at the Universidad de Antioquia in Medellin in May 2006. Participants examined the implications for the Andean region of the trends discussed in the first three seminars and began to identify opportunities for their countries and the region.
For the fifth and final workshop, participants returned to the Universidad del Rosario in June 2006. Through case studies and lectures, the group focused on the ways in which advances in science and technology are beginning to reshape international diplomacy.
Participants came away from the seminar with a stronger foundation in science and technology management and a clearer vision for building local, national, and international development efforts that will deepen and enrich the Andean region’s region’s role in the global knowledge economy.
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