President of Uruguay Opened Third School for Policymakers in Science, Technology and Innovation

(16 October 2012) The President of Uruguay, José Mujica, was the main speaker at the high-level conference on science, technology and innovation for inclusive development, which served as the opener today for the third School for Policymakers in Science, Technology and Innovation, which is being jointly organized by the National Research and Innovation Agency (ANII) in Uruguay, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and ECLAC.

The conference was opened by Rodolfo Silveira, President of ANII, Jürgen Klenk, Main Advisor to the ECLAC-GIZ Programme and Resident Director of GIZ in Chile, and Mario Cimoli, Director of the Division of Production, Productivity and Management of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

The event tackled topics related to innovation and productive and social development, as well as the mainstreaming of science, technology and innovation. The focus was on the policies needed for Latin America and the Caribbean to become a technologically advanced and developed region.

The main speakers included Ruth Ladenheim, Secretary of Planning and Policy of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation of Argentina, Luiz Antonio Elías, Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation in Brazil, and Guadalupe Martínez, Executive Secretary of the Nicaraguan Council for Science and Technology.

Also in attendance were Ricardo Ehrlich, Minister for Education and Culture and President of the Ministerial Innovation Cabinet in Uruguay, and Judith Sutz, Academic Coordinator of the Sectoral Scientific Research Commission of the University of the Republic of Uruguay, who were joined by other senior regional authorities in science, technology and innovation.

The main aim of the School is to strengthen the scientific, technological and productive capacities of Latin American and Caribbean countries, as well as to transfer knowledge and support the learning of policymakers in science and technology.

The third School, which will end in late October, will focus on the analysis and design of public policies to boost inclusive innovation. It will bring together participants from the following 16 Latin American and Caribbean countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay.

Any queries should be sent to the ECLAC Public Information and Web Services Section.

E-mail: prensa@cepal.org, Telephone: (56 2) 210 2040.

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