Over 60 opportunities for collaboration on competitiveness identified in Argentina
More than 25 economic development leaders from universities,
companies and governments from 16 countries of the Americas gathered
in Argentina to explore commercial and collaboration opportunities
with strategic partners. The
Fourth Americas Competitiveness Exchange on Innovation and
Entrepreneurship (ACE)
of the Inter-American Competitiveness Network (RIAC) concluded on
October 30 in Cordoba, Argentina with concrete results, including
the identification of over 60 opportunities for collaboration among
participants.
For five days, participants met with leaders from business
incubators, local technology-based companies, rural production
centers, local subsidiaries of international companies, research
centers and public-private initiatives. Through these visits, the
Exchange provided participants with an opportunity to learn from
each other and build a network of contacts that will support the
strengthening of innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems in the
region.
As part of the
agenda,
participants visited FabLab
Crea, a digital fabrication laboratory; Mercado Libre,
an electronic trading platform with operations in 12 countries;
Incutex, an incubator of
technology-based companies;
SavantPharm, a highly innovative pharmaceutical plant;
Arcor, an Argentine
multinational company that specializes in food production; Aceitera General
Deheza,
an agro-industrial complex dedicated to the grinding of oil for the
production of vegetable proteins, vegetable oils, biodiesel and
bioethanol; Villa María Cheese
Cluster, which gathers and represents all the participants of
the cheese value chain developed in the Villa María Region, and
Promedon, a company from
Cordoba with presence in sixty countries specializing on research,
development and distribution of innovative medical technology, among
others.
Description of the #ACXchange by participants
after its conclusion:
- Source of inspiration to address the
challenges that lie ahead
- Valuable
- Supported my growth
- A learning experience
- Helpful
- Created opportunities
The Exchange is an activity focused on achieving concrete results.
Information shared by participants at the end of the activity showed
that over 60 collaboration opportunities were identified, and it is
expected that they will begin to bear fruit in the near future.
Daniel Kefeli, from the
Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining of Uruguay, contacted the
Technological University of Uruguay to encourage exchanges of
teachers and students; Rossy
Dubon, from the University of San Carlos in Guatemala, will
propose the realization of a small Guatemalan exchange with local
businesses, and will explore the design a strategy to further
coordination between the work of universities, the private and the
public sectors in stimulating innovation and entrepreneurship;
Paul Jadin, President of
the Association for Economic Development in Madison, Wisconsin is
exploring how to bring "fly bike" products to Wisconsin, developed
by one of the entrepreneurs at Incutex, and extend an invitation to
some of the participants of the Exchange to Wisconsin to share its
good practices and business opportunities;
Cindy Medaglia, from the
Foreign Trade Promotor of Costa Rica wants to bring the Government
of Córdoba’s "sponsor a business" program to her country, as a good
practice that can be replicated;
Jerónimo Silva, Manager
of ProBogotá, will follow-up with experts from some participating
sites to guide the formulation of effective public policies for
Bogota; Nora Angelica Medina
from Paraguay’s ITAIPU Technological Park expressed interest in
sponsoring an activity following the ACE’s format on the
Paraguay-Argentina-Brazil border, to name just some of the
collaboration opportunities identified.
The Exchange was organized by the Ministry of Industry, Trade,
Mining and Development of the Government of the Province of Córdoba,
Argentina and the OAS, as Technical Secretariat of the
Inter-American Competitiveness Network (RIAC), with support from the
Government of Guatemala, as Chair Pro Tempore of the RIAC for 2015,
and the United States Department of Commerce.
Ivan Torres, President of Young Entrepreneurs at Mexico’s
Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce, who participated in
the Exchange, concludes: "The activity has been a great effort by
the OAS and the Province of Córdoba, which strengthens the objective
of the RIAC - to create networks in the Americas to strengthen the
hemisphere’s competitiveness."