‘Natural labs’ a magnet for Ecuador’s city of knowledge
‘Natural labs’ a magnet for Ecuador’s city of knowledge
16 October 2014 | By Holly Else
Recruitment is under way for Yachay University, a new campus that the country hopes will usher in a research and innovation culture
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Source: Secretaría Educación Superior Ecuador
Knowledge-based focus: Ecuador is aiming to develop a research culture, focused on a
‘city of knowledge’
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“Academia is just like soccer…You recruit good players, you win,” José Andrade told Times Higher Education on a recent visit to London, adding that he and his colleagues are “just about to recruit the Manchester United of South America” for a new institution in Ecuador.
Professor Andrade is the academic secretary of Yachay University, a new research-intensive institution that will form the cornerstone of a “city of knowledge” being built from scratch in an Andean valley.
The 4,000-hectare site, near the small village of Urcuquí, an hour and a half from the capital Quito’s international airport, will eventually house the university, Ecuador’s 13 public research institutes, a technology park and industry.
With Yachay Tech, as it is known for short, the Ecuadorian government is hoping to introduce a research and innovation culture that will transform the country’s economy, which is currently based on the export of raw materials. Fearing that these natural resources could one day run out, President Rafael Correa, who took office in 2007, decided to switch direction to a knowledge-based economy. It is hoped that this will enable the development of an advanced manufacturing sector that can process local products and export high-value goods worldwide.
More:
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/natural-labs-a-magnet-for-ecuadors-city-of-knowledge/2016321.article
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