LEARN & GROW

In order to find the right balance between economic progress and social cohesion, Ecuador has seen the need to advance its social policies, especially when it comes to health and education. Fully aware of the importance of education for the development of the country, universities are working to diversify their educational offerings to match the development needs of Ecuador. Universities are designing new courses on agribusiness, energy, mining, health, and engineering to better supply the local workforce required for new projects and investments in these areas. Besides that, universities are strengthening their cooperation with the private sector as a means of gaining new financial resources and conducting research that is more practical for the Ecuadorian economy. Reflecting on this synergy, Cecilia Paredes, Rector of Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL), told TBY that, “ESPOL is home to different research centers focused on fields such as agricultural biotechnology, information technologies, and robotics. With this mindset, we are one of the leading institutions in conducting research on the virus potentially affecting banana plantations.” ESPOL is also innovating in different ways to advance a triple-helix model in its region, Guayaquil, where two special economic zones have been established by the university. Innovation Zone of the Ecuadorian Coast (ZILE) is a special zone with 200ha ready to host companies that have research-heavy activity. Moreover, ESPOL has created ZEDE, a special economic development zone aimed at attracting both local and foreign investment, where companies will be able to take advantage of incentives and have easy access to professionals, research, and world-class facilities. Along with San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE), and Escuela Politécnica Nacional (EPN), ESPOL is one of the few Ecuadorian higher education institutions on the QS Ranking for Latin America. Regarding health, 2019 saw the approval of more relaxed legislation for cannabis consumption, taking hemp off the catalogued substances list and allowing the production of industrial hemp and general cannabis. Opportunities remain in the cultivation business given Ecuador’s extraordinary conditions for agricultural production. However, the county still remains far from other countries such as Colombia or Mexico in terms of legislation.