fumec biennial activities report 2010-2011

FUMECBiennial Activities Report2010-2011

Editorial Coordination: Rosario Taracena

Editorial Assistance: Suset Carlos, Dafne Burgos and Jessica Borth

© 2010 The United States-Mexico Foundation for Science

Fundación México-Estados Unidos para la Ciencia

San Francisco 1626 - 205,

Colonia Del Valle, 03100, México, D.F.

www.fumec.org

Printed and made in Mexico

Board of Governors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Origin of FUMEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Letter from the Chairman of the Board of Governors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Letter from the Vice-Chairman of the Board of Governors . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Letter from the CEO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Innovation Driven Economic Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

• Entrepreneurs with passion: Soisa, Orinoco Systems, Nekutli and Matersys . . . . 16

• Companies with exceptional results: Infolik, Loyalty3, Inkstone and Especialistas en Turbopartes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

• Companies with global vision: Xpertal, Forza Global Solutions, Alandra Medical and Digono . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

• Companies which have evolved in several FUMEC programs: Ironbit, Neoteck, Intran Flotamex and Endotzi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

• Companies with highly innovative value offerings: Vivoxie, Echopixel,PrefixaandBustarAlimentos......................... 32

Human Resource Development in Science and Technology . . . . . 36

• State of Mexico, a team “in love with” inquiry based science education . . . . . . . . 37

• Nuevo León, schools proud of having inquiry based science education programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

• CECyTEQ, laying the foundations to form the engineers of the future . . . . . . . . 41

Health, Environment and Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

• Supporting binational efforts in epidemiologic surveillance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

• FUMEC and FUNDEMEX, improving the quality of life of Mexican beekeepers . . . 46

• FUMEC and SENER drive the technology development of energy sector SMEs . . 48

Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Our offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Financial information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Index

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FUMEC | Biennial Activities Report 2010-2011

Board of Governors

Francisco Barnés de CastroChairmanCommissioner of the Energy Regulatory Commission Warren J. BakerVice-ChairmanPresident Emeritus of the California Polytechnic State University Karl RüggebergTreasurerAssociate Director of Paramount BioCapital, Inc. Michael T. CleggImmediate Past ChairForeign Secretary of the US National Academy of Sciences Guillermo FasterlingChrysler de México Former Member José Luis Fernández ZayasResearcher at the Institute of Engineering of the National Autonomous University of Mexico Julio FrenkDean of the Faculty, Harvard School of Public Health William HarrisPresident & CEO of Science Foundation Arizona Silvia HernándezPresident-Associate of Public Strategy Consultants Jo Ivey BouffordPresident of The New York Academy of Medicine

Juan López de SilanesPresident of Bioclon Institute Cristina Loyo VarelaGeneral Director of the National Laboratory on Advanced Computer Science Bernard RobertsonDaimlerChrysler Corp. Former Member Leopoldo RodríguezAdviser and Partner of various enterprises Cipriano SantosSenior Scientist at Hewlett-Packard Laboratories Mary WalshokAssociate Vice Chancellor for Public Programs at the University of California, San Diego Guillermo FernándezSecretary of the BoardCEO of FUMEC

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Origin of FUMEC

The United States-Mexico Founda-tion for Science (FUMEC) is a non-governmental organization created during the preparatory proceedings for signing the North American Free Trade Agreement, based on a binatio-nal accord with the aim of promoting and assisting collaboration in science and technology between the two countries.

U.S. Congressman George E. Brown, Jr. played a key role in forming and consolidating FUMEC. As President of the Science and Technology Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, Brown defended the need to streng-thenbinationalexchangeinthesefieldsand his lobbying in the United States achieved the integration of an initial endowment for FUMEC of close to 11 million U.S. Dollars, which was an exceptional grant in assistance awarded to a nongovernmental organization by the U.S. Government.

Congressman Brown was an untiring promoter of science and technology. After his death in 1999, he left an important legacy of enhancements to science and technology programs

in the United States, standing out collaboration with other countries inthisfield.

Two important players in establis-hing FUMEC were the scientific advisors of the Presidents of both countries, Guillermo Soberón Ace-vedo in Mexico and Alan Bromley in the United States, who were in charge of organizing work groups and ensuring that a commitment to create the Foundation was reached by both governments, which was formally established as an orga-nization with legal status in both countries since 1993.

The United States-Mexico Foun-dation for Science, continuing with the spirit of collaboration that distinguished the work of Con-gressman George E. Brown, Jr., is seeking to become an entity that brings together binational effor ts by identifying opportunities, creating synergies, integrating programs with objectives of binational interest, and searching for results in the fields that it is working.

“I believe that our countries have a shared path and scientific cooperation is part of it.”

Congressman George E. Brown Jr.

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Letter from the Chairman of the Board of Governors

Given the broadness of this statement, the Board of Governors has sought to support the planning and improvement of FUMEC activities, through a greater involvement of its members. An example of this is that during 2011 we have had more work meetings than ever before, an activity which has been aimed at orga-nizing the lines of work in which the Foundation should advance and suggest how it can do so.

To achieve those objectives, the Board of Governors has implemented two mechanisms. On one hand, we have concentrated on the substantive issues of FUMEC, namely: to continue the search for binational coopera-tion opportunities; to strengthen the programs that are under way; to integrate parameters to better evaluate its activities, and to fur ther public dissemination of its achievements.

On the other hand, to give close monitoring and a more defined channel to institutional actions, we decid-ed to create five Work Committees: one dedicated to executive tasks, another to the establishment of evalua-tion metrics and three more to carry out a monitoring of FUMEC’s program areas: Innovation Driven Eco-nomic Development, Human Resources Development in Science and Technology; and Health, Environment and Energy.

As far as the opportunities for binational cooperation, the Board of Governors has indicated that the par tici-pation of its members plays a vital role in indentifying the Foundation’s potential to get involved in projects with greater impact on both sides of the border.

In order to strengthen the Foundation’s programs, the Committees dedicated to the program areas are com-mitted to providing timely feedback and recommenda-tions to improve their work, based on the information presented in the reports of the Executive Director.

The dissemination of FUMEC’s achievements forms par t of a more ambitious strategy aimed at enhanc-ing public knowledge of the impact of its work. On the Board of Governors we know that the Foundation is a key player and renowned actor in science, technol-ogy and innovation circles, mainly in Mexico and also in diverse fields in the United States and Canada. Nev-er theless, we recognize that it needs to be positioned as a visible player within public opinion, and we have therefore recommended actions to improve the dis-semination of its activities, advances and achievements.

Regarding institutional progress, in the last two years the Foundation has consolidated its relation with the Secre-tariat of Economy, which has continued to support at-tention programs aimed at Mexican small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in technology, through business strengthening services for companies seeking to grow within Mexico, and through the TechBA business accel-eration program, which supports the internationalization of SMEs wishing to enter global markets.

This collaboration with the Secretariat of Economy has had considerable success among Mexican technol-ogy SMEs; many of them are learning to do business at global level with the help of TechBA, and the companies in the strengthening program are adopting international

The United States-Mexico Foundation for Science intends to fulfill a great mission: “Promote bi-national collaboration in science and technology to solve problems and address opportunities for both Mexico and the United States, and to identify opportunities for the economic and social development of the region”.

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best practices, although their objective is to attend to the local market, which will undoubtedly improve their competitiveness and chances of survival.

Another outstanding achievement was the establishment, in 2011, of a strategic alliance between FUMEC and the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI); due to the decided support of its Director, José Roque Díaz, the Foundation was able to assure closer collabo-ration with the IMPI.

One of the first results of this alliance was seen in early 2012, with the development of Expo Ingenio (Ingenuity Fair) in which the IMPI and FUMEC joined forces to gather more than 5,000 par ticipants among inventors, entrepreneurs, SMEs, tractor businesses, researchers and students interested in marketing innovative products. This achieve-ment demonstrated the potential of IMPI-FUMEC collaboration to jointly develop long-term projects.

Similarly, the Foundation successfully consolidated its relationship with the Secretariat of Education in Mexico favoring the impulse of inquiry based science education programs (IBSE). This is possible through FUMEC’s col-laboration with Innovation in Science Education (IN-NOVEC), which works in 12 states around the country with a coverage of 400,000 elementary level students.

Something similar has happened with health: collabora-tion between the Secretariat of Health and FUMEC is enabling the effective channeling of resources from the United States Department of Health and Human Services towards epidemiologic surveillance tasks in Mexico, in order to guarantee the health of inhabitants of both countries.

Without a doubt, many of these achievements are also the result of the diligent management of the immedi-ate former Chairman Doctor Michael Clegg, who made valuable contributions allowing the Foundation to lever-age collaboration opportunities between the United States and Mexico in such a way as to strengthen FUMEC programs and generate better outcomes.

Lastly, it is worth mentioning that in 2012 the Foundation will celebrate its first 20 years since becoming established in the United States. This commemora-tion will offer the opportunity to reflect on the results obtained up to now and the aspects we must refine in order to continue to be a focused and effective institution.

As I said earlier, the Board of Governors is interested in the Foundation communicating its achievements to a wider audi-

enceandthisdocumentisareflectionofthat.Unlikeprevious reports, here we present a selection of success cases, which we would like to share about the work FUMEC does.

We hope this document offers the reader greater insight into the performance of an organization we consider vital to the economic and social development of the North America region.

Sincerely,

Francisco Barnés de Castro Chairman of the Board of Governors, FUMEC

“FUMEC collaboration with the Secretariat of Economy has had considerable success among Mexican technology SMEs; many of them are learning to do business at global level, while others are adopting international best practices.”

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Letter from the Vice-Chairman of the Board of Governors

I would like to take this opportunity to highlight three key initiatives that demonstrate current and potential cooperation of professional societies, economic development organizations, businesses, industry, academic institutions and governmental agencies with The United States-Mexico Foundation for Science (FUMEC).

First, it is widely recognized that the strength of a nation’s economic development is related to the quality and reach of the education system to provide robust programs that integrate learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The California STEM Learning Network (CSLNet) defines STEM as a trans-disciplinary approach to learning where rigorous academic concepts are coupled with hands-on, real world applications of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics in contexts that make connections between school, community, work, and the global enterprise and foster the development of STEM literacy, critical thinking and problem solving skills, and with it the ability to compete in an innovation-based economy.

Since 1997, FUMEC has been involved in fostering STEM education in the K-12 system with interests in developing inquiry based learning education (IBSE) in Mexico and in schools in the U.S. with high populations of Mexican American students along the border. In 2002 FUMEC par ticipated in the creation of a non-profit organization called Innovation in Science Educa-tion (INNOVEC) to promote IBSE.

The IBSE curricula that INNOVEC is working with was originally developed by the National Academy of Sci-ence, the Smithsonian Institution and the National Sci-ence Resources Center as a teaching system for natural sciences based on the natural curiosity of students to better understand the world around them by develop-ing reasoning skills, critical thinking and learning atti-tudes. Students engage in science as a process, improv-ing their abilities to understand basic concepts and their analytical skills and problem solving. INNOVEC works with the support of the Mexican Secretariat of Educa-

tion and has introduced nearly a half million students to IBSE and engaged thousands of teachers and pedagogi-cal advisors in 11 states.

There is growing evidence that inquiry based and proj-ect based learning improves the overall general literacy for students with significant improvements for students that are English language learners. To determine how the experiences of the Mexican schools might assist STEM learning in U.S. schools with high populations of Mexican American English language learners, FUMEC is currently working in par tnership with California Math-ematics, Science, Engineering Achievement (MESA).

MESA has 40 years of experience working with high schools, community colleges and universities to at-tract and improve the par ticipation and performance of traditionally underrepresented populations in STEM fields. It engages thousands of educationally disadvan-taged students so they excel in math and science and graduate from college with math based degrees. MESA has had one of the most successful programs in the U.S. in closing the achievement gap by providing support such as classes, hands on competitions, counseling and a community environment to students from middle school through four-year college.

FUMEC and MESA intend to create opportunities for cross-fer tilization between schools along the California-Mexico border to integrate the methods used through IBSE in Mexico and the MESA program. The goal is to foster STEM education, improve science literacy for all students and increase the number of students who pursue STEM careers.

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Second, FUMEC serves as a catalyst to create programs that foster economic development based on innovation. One example is the Technology Business Accelerator program (TechBA) created in 2004 by the Mexican Secretariat of Economy and FUMEC. TechBA serves as the spearhead of collaborative effor ts between Mexico, the United States and Canada, seeking a benefit at the regional level in North America by ac-celerating the development and growth of Mexican technology-based companies.

Acceleration programs are developed in major commercial centers in the U.S., Canada and in Madrid, based the on pres-ence of a dynamic technology environment such as microelec-tronics in the Silicon Valley, the automotive industry in Detroit, etc. These centers facilitate inter-actions of selected and supported Mexican companies with the local technology environment by providing access to local business and technology resources and consultants.

These programs help to improve business plans, strate-gic alliances and access to global markets for par ticipat-ing Mexican companies. They facilitate par tnerships and opportunities for development of technology busi-nesses in the region and also make it easy for business-es and professional technical organizations to define strategies for collaboration.

An example of this is the TechBA in Seattle that has facilitated relationships between the Mexican businesses with Microsoft, which has allowed companies to set up programs where the two countries are contributing to regional productivity. Two Mexican companies, Infolink and Build Binder, currently in the TechBA Program, are improving the use of advanced information technology

tools in companies in the U.S. and Canada. Infolink works with SMEs and Build Binder leverages the platforms of Microsoft to improve the productivity of construction companies in the U.S.

Third, the TechBA program is an excellent foundation to build a broader tri-national program with FUMEC to

cooperate in mutually beneficial effor ts in science and technol-ogy in North America. With the par ticipation of the govern-ments of Mexico and the U.S. in the formation of FUMEC, in the context of NAFTA, it is logical to extend an invitation to Canada to broaden the reach of mutu-ally beneficial cooperative effor ts in innovation driven economic development, innovation in STEM education and innovation in the application of science and technology in cross border issues

related to air quality, water quality and conservation, and health.

In order to pursue the Foundation’s mission, goals and objectives, FUMEC has undertaken a course of action to reach out to professional and governmental orga-nizations to strengthen communication and to foster broader trinational par ticipation. FUMEC could share in and contribute to the trinational benefits that stand to be gained from the experiences of the Canadian International Science and Technology Par tnerships and of the Canadian Science, Technology and Innovation Council.

Sincerely,

Warren J. Baker Vice-Chairman, Board of Governors, FUMEC

“INNOVEC works with the support of the Mexican Secretariat of Education and has introduced nearly a half million students to IBSE and engaged thousands of teachers and pedagogical advisors in 11 states”.

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Letter from the CEO

Since its origins, FUMEC has been an organization committed to economic and social development, and these last two years have been no exception. In this period we have reinforced our programs in order to promote the use of science, technology and innovation to advance on three fronts: 1) Innovation driven economic development, 2) Human resources development in science and technology, and 3) Health, environment and energy-related issues.

In the area of Innovation Driven Economic Develop-ment, we have broadened our support structure for technology small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and we have consolidated our business-strengthen-ing program. This program offers specialized assess-ment to companies that work in high growth potential niches, such as: aerospace, automotive, cloud computing, mobile application development, microsystems, health technologies, clean technologies and food.

The work of business strengthening has been de-veloped in more than 21 states around the country through the Business Technology Assistance System (SATE) and through our Sectoral Coordinations. The strengthening program identifies and supports the tech-nology firms with greatest potential in Mexico so that they can grow in their natural market, and encourages them to compete in international markets, a goal which many have achieved.

In the same way, our Technology Business Acceleration program (TechBA) has consolidated through the open-ing, at the end of 2010, of two new head offices: one in Seattle, United States, and the other in Vancouver, Canada. These new offices have permitted an increase in the number of businesses in acceleration to broaden their operations in global ecosystems.

The TechBA offices have continued to innovate to sup-port companies. An example of this is the implemen-tation of the Boot Camp “Build or die” model, which seeks to accelerate the internationalization process through market research, business development and

rapid prototyping. This innovation has also been visible in proactive focusing workshops and market analysis development using the TechBA Market Finder tool.

We are aware of our role as liaison between organisms that support the growth of Mexican SMEs, and there-fore we try to leverage existing resources and boost effor ts with the SME Fund, the Software Industry De-velopment Program (PROSOFT) and the Development Program for High Technology Industries (PRODIAT), among others. Similarly, we are looking to form par t of the Secretariat of Economy’s innovation strategies and leverage the funds of the National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT).

Regarding the Human Resources Development in Sci-ence and Technology, collaboration with Innovation in Science Education (INNOVEC) has been key to the continuing promotion in Mexico of the use of inquiry based science education (IBSE), which are applied in 12 states, with a coverage of 415,862 students.

The work of INNOVEC has been supported by the National Science Resources Center of the United States and by similar organizations from other coun-tries, and has brought on board players such as Motor-ola Solutions Foundation in Mexico as allies of the IBSE.

Another INNOVEC achievement was the 6th Inter-national Science Education Conference in November 2011, which convened more than 300 education pro-fessionals from different continents to share their best experiences in this area.

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INNOVEC worked with the Mexican Chamber of Dep-uties, education authorities and with the Secretariat of Finance and Public Credit, in order to assure funds for the states that work with IBSE programs. The result was the authorization of 40 million pesos from the Federal Budget of 2012, which will be distributed among 12 states, while the state governments contribute an equal amount. This will benefit close to 500,000 students in elementary education.

Similarly, we have continued the promotion of science, technolo-gy, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education at high school level, leveraging alliances with organizations from the United States. An example of this is our collaboration with the CECyTEQ of Querétaro to put Engineering Basics into operation, a program which demonstrates that, given the right motivation, young people opt for STEM-related careers.

On the health front, we have consolidated our role to be able to channel resources from the government of the United States to Mexico in priority issues such as the Early Warning Infectious Disease Surveillance (EWIDS) and we facilitated a greater collaboration be-tween the U.S. Department of Health and the Mexican Secretariat of Health on topics such as information technologies and the use of mobile health devices.

In terms of the environment, FUMEC activity has undergone a natural evolution and has been central to our effor ts to support companies able to develop as catalyzing agents and generators of higher energy ef-ficiency and better environmental care.

Something similar has happened in food safety: although the Foundation star ted pushing initiatives to improve food quality, our par ticipation has focused on the devel-

opment of suppliers of social enterprises in order for their products to be able to compete internationally.

Moreover, FUMEC has sought for the Secretariat of Energy (SENER) in Mexico to take advantage of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program of the United States, to include the par ticipation of SMEs in its research and development support program,

which can be done through the Sustainable Energy Fund.

The accomplishments of the Foundation are the product of the work of our team of profes-sionals, who have shown excep-tional characteristics in facing the most diverse challenges and meeting objectives that, at first seemed unattainable. I thank everyone for their effor ts and willingness to meet the goals we have set ourselves.

Another crucial aspect to fulfill-ing our mission has been the constant guidance and support of the members of our Board of Governors, who have followed our activities closely. To all of them, we want to thank them for their constant feedback, ideas and contributions, which have been invaluable in enhancing our performance.

We who collaborate in FUMEC are convinced that we can make a serious and responsible contribution to social and economic development. This conviction moti-vates us to give our best and seek out the mechanisms to achieve that goal.

Sincerely,

Guillermo Fernández de la Garza Chief Executive Officer of FUMEC

“We are convinced that we can make a serious and responsible contribution to social and economic development. This conviction motivates us to give our best and seek out the mechanisms to achieve that goal”.

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Results by Programatic Area

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Innovation Driven Economic Development

Driving innovation is a crucial element to accelerate economic growth. In the last 15 years the production value of technology companies in advanced countries has grown four times more rapidly than traditional companies. Innovation does not only mean new products or services, but also transforming processes or generating new knowledge, and even adapting existing ways of working in order to respond to market needs.

As Richard A. Bendis, CEO of Innovation America says, innovation is about new ways of doing things, but also about new ways of doing business, of par tnering, collaborating, and even new ways of communicating. “Innovation truly distinguishes the leaders in today’s economy.”, Bendis affirms.

Being an organization that promotes the use of science for economic and social development, FUMEC recognizes the importance of promoting innovation to favor the econom-ic growth of North America. Thus, our area of Innovation Driven Economic Development organizes different pro-grams with the Mexican government aimed at accelerating the growth of Mexican small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in technology which have the potential to grow globally with innovative products and services.

FUMEC’s Innovation Driven Economic Development area directs its effor ts towards two great objectives:

1. To accelerate the development of technology compa-nies who work in strategic, high growth niches, and

2. To strengthen the development of technology-business ecosystems that stimulate the creation and accelerate the development of technology companies.

Below are the mechanisms through which we are seek-ing to meet these objectives.

Business Technology Assistance System (SATE)

The SATE offers its services through a network of Business Technology Advisors (ATEs) who analyze the needs and capacities of each company in order to iden-tify the areas which require intervention and the tools

for each case. The ATEs specialize in the sector they attend, offer personalized consulting to companies and connect them with other institutions and organizations that offer services for SMEs.

Concentration in strategic niches of opportunity in priority sectors

To us, strategic niches are growth markets where tech-nology and innovative solutions are a key elements and where there is a critical mass of Mexican companies aspiring to conquer those markets.

The sectors and niches in which we work are: informa-tion technologies (including cloud computing, mobile technologies and new media), microsystems, aerospace and automotive manufacturing, health technologies, food technologies and clean technologies.

TechBA: International Technology Business Acceleration

The TechBA program offers assessment and support so that Mexican companies can accelerate their develop-ment and conquer global markets with the support of international alliances. TechBA introduces companies to highly competitive business ecosystems to enable them to improve their capacities and value offerings and acti-vate their growth potential.

Local, national and international support networks

A central FUMEC strategy is to build local, national and international technology-business support networks which interact with each other so that technology SMEs can develop as highly competitive product and service suppliers.

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Results of the Strengthening Program

» In 2010 and 2011 FUMEC supported 250 companies in 21 Mexican states.

» The companies in this program achieved an average increase in sales of 15.35%, with total sales reaching $491.2 million dollars.

» These companies generated 88 new lines of business and 105 new products, services or processes.

» Of all the companies supported by this program, 83obtainedcertifications,32 intellectual property registrations were made, and 27 innovation projects were prepared.

Results of the TechBA Program

» From 2005 to 2011, TechBA has provided 848 acceleration services. In this period, companies in the program have generated more than 360 million U.S. dollars in international sales.

» The companies supported by TechBA have been able to internationalize and grow, even in the midst of the world economic recession, which began in 2008 and has ramifications until today. The following graph shows the fluctuation of the GDP growth of

both countries.

Success Cases

In the following pages we present 20 success stories of companies that have been supported by FUMEC. These stories are organized into five groups: 1) Entrepreneurs with passion, 2) Companies with exceptional results, 3) Companies with global vision, 4) Companies which have evolved in FUMEC programs, and 5) Companies with highly innovated value offerings.

Each one of the companies presented here has been able to boost its capacities through the support and networks that the Foundation has organized. We hope their stories will inspire others to prepare themselves to grow and join the group of companies changing the shape of the Mexican economy.

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Soisa, conquering international markets

They say that crises create opportunities and the story of the Mesta brothers, Jesús and Javier, is a clear example.

In 2006, the company they inherited from their father was on the verge of bankruptcy due to the invasion of textiles from Asia. They manufactured denim jeans in their native Chihuahua, but when sales began to fall, they knew they had to seek new horizons. “We star ted to analyze what to invest in and we saw that the aero-space industry was beginning to take off in Mexico,” recalls Jesús Mesta, CEO of Soisa.

Today, the company manufactures over 40 aerospace products and supplies companies like Boeing, Airbus and Bombardier, and airlines including United, easyJet and Shanghai Airlines.

But the change was far from easy. The first thing the Mesta brothers did was to get AS9100 cer tification, without which it would be impossible to break into the aerospace industry. Once cer tified, they learned that TechBA could help them and applied to go to Montreal, where they began to work with consultants with a background in important aerospace companies.

Before going to TechBA, the Mesta brothers had no clear idea of the future, but after three years in the program they have developed a vision that is “well de-fined and structured, with very clear goals and actions,” says Jesús.

Soisa’s growth has been exponential and, indeed, re-markable. From just 7 employees in 2007, the company grew its workforce to 170 in 2011. The company’s sales volumes quadrupled from 2008 to 2009; duplicated in 2010 and 2011 and are expected to duplicate once again in 2012.

The Mesta brothers receiving the PYME Award 2009.

Entrepreneurs with passion

FUMEC seeks to work with entrepreneurs who have an enormous passion for what they do, with the enthusiasm, energy and tenacity to make their vision of building a rapid growth company into a reality.

We are also looking for entrepreneurs who can work with discipline. Business projects demand that leaders are capable of organizing an action plan, seeing it through and being open to making the necessary adjustments. Discipline also contributes to increasing the level of professionalism of entrepreneurs and their businesses, which naturally reflects in better results.

FUMEC supports companies through mentoring with experts who understand the everyday problems facing entrepreneurs, and who have the tools to enhance the internal operations of the business and support growth plans.

We know that companies are made by people, and so it is vitally important to be able to identify entrepreneurs willing to take on the world and who are capable of transmitting that vision to their team.

FUMEC supports entrepreneurs with passion because we believe they have the qualities necessary to best face the great challenges that building a successful business implies and, above all, who are best equipped to lead it to triumph.

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Questioned about its formula for success, Jesús says it is all a matter of discipline. “The first challenge was to get cer tification because of the discipline it implies and keeping it, too. The rest has come as a consequence.” This discipline permeates daily life in the company, whose quality culture revolves around two phrases: “do it right first time,” and “always surpass the client’s expectations.”

Today, Soisa can guarantee that its products go beyond the client’s expectations and the company remains committed to improving its services. “We have one person dedicated to giving us constant feedback: the client is thrilled because we give the best service, and so are we because we can complement each other better,” concludes Jesús.

Orinoco Systems de México, driving Mexican talent

Formed by Héctor Correa and Diego Ferrer in 2008, Ori-noco Systems has a clear international vocation: to attend the needs of companies and organizations in the United States, where all their clients are, from Chihuahua, Mexico.

Orinoco Systems is an information technology consulting firmspecializinginthedesign,implementationandmain-tenance of solutions which enable businesses and organi-zationstoachievegreaterefficiencyintheirprocesses.

For its founders, operating from national territory with foreign clients responds to a business strategy, but also implies a personal challenge arising from their own work experience:toavoidtheflightofhumancapitalbycreat-ing a work offering for Chihuahua professionals facing the dilemma of working in maquilas or leaving the state in search of opportunities.

In 2009, entrance to TechBA Arizona helped Orinoco tobetterdefineitssalesstrategy.“BeforeTechBAourfocus had been on costs. Working with them enabled us to identify other advantages that clients value, such as theflexibilitytosuittheirneeds.Nowourfocusismoremature and as a result we have done more business, have

more projects and more working talent,” commented Héctor Correa, Director of Operations of Orinoco.

Oncethedefinitionofthesalesstrategyhadbeencom-pleted, TechBA focused on providing the company assess-mentonlegal,financialandbusinessissues,aswellasonthe exploration of new markets.

Orinoco Systems Mexico has a sister company in the United States, Orinoco Systems LLC, and a vast network of contacts in Chicago, where it has attended clients such as Midas, Michigan Medical, Sarah Lee, Sears, Duff & Phelps and Quest Group, among others.

Growth over the last few years has been impressive: in 2011, Orinoco sold 40 times more than in 2008 and has not only increased its workforce, but has retained the original, which is a source of great pride for them. In recognition of all that, the company won the SME Award 2011 presented by the Secretariat of Economy, as the best acceleration company at international level.

Talking about his experience as an international business, Héctor Correa has no hesitation in telling those who want to penetrate the global market that: “TechBA is the shortest path for Mexican companies who want to do business in the United States. It works if you are smart, haveanopenmindandarewillingtoredefineyourself.”

The Orinoco Systems managerial staff. Photo courtesy of the company.

“Soisa’s quality culture revolves around two phrases: ‘do it right first time,’ and ‘always surpass the client’s expectations.’”

“After being with TechBA our focus is more mature; we have done more business, have more projects and more working talent.”

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Nekutli: sweet and healthy flavors with very few calories

Since its foundation in 2002, Nekutli has not turned away from challenges to grow, evolve and broaden its value offering.

Formed by farmers and indigenous organizations under fair-trade rules, this Jalisco company engages in the production and marketing of agave syrup and soluble fiber. The first serves as a sweetener and the second as a nutritional supplement. Both have few calories, are organic and functional.

Although the company has successfully marketed its products as a raw material at international level, it recently embarked on the development of a line of processed products.

Manuel Cruz, CEO of Nekutli, remembers that many of its clients were somewhat unreceptive to using the raw materials, and even questioned their quality and properties, inspiteofthecompany’sscientifictestingwhichguaran-tees their quality. This motivated them to develop pro-cessed products with high added value, such as: chocolates, dressings, cereals, ice cream, cheeses, yoghurt, snacks and confectionery, the majority of which can be consumed by diabeticsandprovidehealthbenefitstoallconsumers.

At the end of 2010, Nekutli made contact with the TechBA Vancouver office, which is helping the company to generate a marketing strategy which will enable it to penetrate the Canadian consumer and raw materials

market, one of the most sophisticated and competitive in the world.

Alongside this, Nekutli has par ticipated with FUMEC’s Coordination of Food Technologies to develop market analyses, logistics studies and roadmaps, tools which have helped to visualize the path to follow to success-fully market and internationalize its products.

The opening of the Canadian market is the result of a great effor t, and will involve the duplication of Nekutli’s workforce, thereby building an important source of hu-man capital and foreign currency for Mexico.

“We feel very proud because we were selling a lot of raw materials to the main companies of the world; but now we think that with our line of processed products we will be a really good option for the end consumer, not only because of their excellent quality, but because we will enrich the market with functional foods with positive impact for diabetics and beneficial to health in general,” Manuel affirmed.

Matersys Group, converting ideas into results

Sometimes, growing SMEs know what to do, but some-times do not. Refining the business offering, designing a sales plan and improving processes are requirements that must be covered if a business aspires to be more competitive. However, going from theory to practice often means going back to basics and it is not always easy to know where to star t.

That was the experience of Matersys Group, an information technology and software engineering consulting firm on the verge of exploring the international market when it realized it would first have to strengthen internally. It was then that it decided to

“Our line of processed products will be a really good option for the end consumer. We will enrich the market with functional foods with positive impact on health.”

A sample of Nekutli’s new line of products. Photo courtesy of the company.

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approach FUMEC’s Business Technology Assistance System (SATE).

Entering the SATE allowed the company to enhance many of its work processes and develop the business vision it lacked; but beyond that, as Jaime Ruiz, Director of Matersys says, it helped them to identify their busi-ness opportunities and better target their value offer-ing. “We went from offering custom traditional software development solutions to specializing in an area of high demand on the national and international IT market: middleware.”

Matersys began to focus on the development of intermediary software and hardware products which allow end user systems to be secure, hardy and reliable.

Among its key clients are important banks, insurance and retirement fund administration companies such as HSBC, Banamex, Bancomer and Axa.

With FUMEC’s help, Matersys also implemented an innovation-based growth strategy, a feature it wants to convert into a permanent seal of the company. As its first project, the company has developed a bracelet which monitors the vital signs of senior patients. The project has already been patented and is expected to be a great commercial success.

The company’s transformation has yielded important fruits: from 2009 to 2011 Matersys tripled its turnover, opened branches in Monterrey and Guadalajara and grew its workforce threefold.

“The SATE has been a real accelerator so that our ideas became tangible results. We are on an upward gradient and want to keep climbing,” assured its Director.

“We went from offering custom traditional software development solutions to specializing in an area of high demand on the national and international IT market: middleware.”

Jaime Ruiz, CEO of Matersys.

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Infolink: the mentality of a global player

In 2007 a call in the newspaper led Infolink to make contact with FUMEC. The Ciudad Juárez-based software support company had taken advantage of being a bor-der company by selling its services outside Mexico, but wanted to reach bigger clients and increase its sales.

In 2008, after going through a selection process, the company founded by José Antonio González began its acceleration process through the TechBA program in Silicon Valley. At first, José Antonio attended meetings and assessments once or twice a month; however, he soon realized the enormous advantage for his company to have permanent access to one of the most competi-tive business ecosystems in the world.

So it was that this entrepreneur decided to move to San José, California. “We needed to take advantage of the partnership network of TechBA Silicon Valley, attend events, conferences, meetings and know what companies and products they were talking about,” he comments.

From their point of view, Infolink’s relationship with TechBA Silicon Valley consultants helped them to enrich the perspective of many of their processes: sales, delivery,

services and even administrative. It also allowed them to identify their strengths and focus on a market niche to which they could add greater value: specialized support.

The company has since gone from having a generic offering to focusing on a technical support solution to users for global technology companies which develop cloud computing, a move which has paid off. In addi-tion, Infolink is developing a line of specialized software products to improve the design of clients’ products.

In the last three years, Infolink has undergone surprising growth: its number of employees has grown fourfold and sales have increased by 35%. Its client base has

Part of Infolink’s staff. Photo courtesy of the company.

Companies with exceptional results

The trial by fire of any business consulting program is for companies to improve their results, whether that means increasing sales levels, generating more jobs or improving value offerings; the latter should be reflected in the first two.

A lot can be said about the benefits of FUMEC business support programs and mechanisms, but the success of the businesses is what finally demonstrates their effectiveness.

In a recent document, the OECD pointed out that when companies start out it is very difficult to identify which will grow more; the organism, therefore, recommends creating the conditions under which any business can achieve high growth.

And that is exactly what we at FUMEC do. Our programs are designed to give companies access to the tools and support they need to generate and maintain their competitive advantage, which will undoubtedly help them to broaden their market and, in many cases, get exceptional results.

FUMEC is convinced that entrepreneurs with passion, with an innovative value offering and global vision, can generate sustainable businesses in constant growth, providing they get the mentoring and support they need. The cases described below are an example of that.

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also changed and now includes business giants such as Microsoft, McAfee and Alcatel.

But beyond the tangible results, José Antonio values the mental transformation his company has experi-enced. “Now we are a global player, we are much more exposed to global technology trends, to value creation and business opportunities. Today we have a differ-ent mentality and at this rate we will grow even more rapidly in the future.”

Loyalty3, creating lasting relationships with clients

“Mauricio Morales is a businessman who has literally sold ice to the Eskimos. He went to the marketing country and sold marketing,” so Luis Medina, Director of TechBA Austin, sums up Loyalty3’s trajectory in the United States.

Today, the company has solid presence in the U.S., offering loyalty services to restaurant and shoe store chains, and even as a strategic par tner of Univision, with whom since 2009 it has managed an affinity program for the Hispanic population in the U.S.

But perhaps the key to Loyalty3’s success is that it not only sells marketing, but a package of services which includes client information integration, reward programs and marketing mechanisms, all geared towards com-panies developing closer, longer lasting and profitable relationships with their clients.

But things were not always so simple for this Mexico City company. Learning to do business outside Mexico “was a process that took time,” says Mauricio, the company’s CEO. Luckily, Loyalty3 has had the support of TechBA Austin, who since 2006 has helped to familiar-ize it with the North American market and to make the necessary adjustments to obtain a solid product and value offering.

“Although our value offering has not changed much, what has changed is the way it is communicated. Now our presentations are more focused on the benefits of the product showing quantifiable data,” says Mauricio, who went through a series of meetings with “friendly clients” who listened to his business presentations and gave him feedback. Some even ended up being real clients.

Something Mauricio appreciates about TechBA is the commitment and professionalism of the program mentors. “We have had an almost personal commit-ment from our business developer because he wears the company’s hat and makes things happen. And that includes going to meetings with clients and observing what was valued and what was not. Having someone like that is really valuable.”

In contrast, Mauricio regrets that many Mexicans do not truly appreciate the advantage they have by being so close to the United States. “We are right next to the biggest market in the world, a country where people come to sell who have many more obstacles than we do, and we do not realize that we are losing time. We have a privileged position and even a program like TechBA to make it easier, so it is almost a sin not to,” he observes.

“Now we are a global player, we are much more exposed to global technology trends, to value creation and business opportunities.”

“We have had an almost personal commitment from our TechBA business developer because he wears the company’s hat and makes things happen.”

Mauricio Morales, CEO of Loyalty3.

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Inkstone, applications for a world in constant motion

When Israel Pasos applied for his company, Dream-ink, to enter the TechBA program in Seattle, he never imagined that it would be the star t of an extraordinary launch for him as an entrepreneur and for the young Mexico City company.

Dreamink had developed Pressleaf, a cloud-based pub-lication environment which permits content up-dating and optimization for new generation devices, including mobiles, and worked with big clients such as Grupo Medios, TELMEX and Sección Amarilla.

In spite of its success in Mexico, Dreamink knew it could win markets outside the country. “We wanted to launch products on an international level, but we did not have a clear idea of the dimensions or complexities of the markets. In fact, we tried on several occasions, but never reached the level we wanted. Afterwards, thanks to TechBA, international markets became our bread and butter,” Israel remembers.

Dreamink’s original plan was to seek investment in the United States to initiate its growth strategy. The company was already part way there when, in mid-2011 it received a proposal to merge with Inkstone, a North American company engaged in the development of mobile applica-tions. “When we met with this company we made a good match and decided to merge to create something bigger and more interesting,” Israel commented.

The decision meant the opening of a myriad of op-portunities. “It opened doors for us everywhere, both in Mexico and the United States. It gave us access to amazing talent. It opened doors to big-name compa-nies like Apple, Disney, Visa,” said Israel, who is now the Inkstone’s Product CEO.

The growth in sales speaks of the success of the merger, the Mexican company going from between six and seven million pesos in 2010, to 2.5 million dollars in 2011. It also doubled its employees who are distributed between San Francisco, Seattle and Mexico City, al-though the majority of its developers reside in Mexico.

Inkstone still develops custom products for its clients, and has continued to work, in parallel, on its own prod-ucts, two of which are marketed in the United States. Although ad hoc applications generate 80% of the company’s income, Inkstone expects its new products to help it continue to grow in the medium term.

Especialistas en Turbopartes: successfully entering the aerospace industry

Especialistas en Turbopartes is a high-tech Mexican com-pany which has migrated successfully to the aerospace in-dustry whose vibrant dynamism will enable the company to continue growing and developing to its full potential.

Since 1991, Especialistas has engaged in the manufac-ture and rehabilitation of par ts for rotodynamic equip-ment, and its experience has converted it into the nation’s leading turbo machinery manufacturer.

Despite these notable achievements, for several years the company has had the intention to enter the aero-space sector, and it was precisely this interest that prompted them to respond to an invitation from TechBA in 2008 to analyze the possibilities of entering the industry.

Especialistas en Turbopartes went through a pre-accel-eration process before going into acceleration, which allowed it to acquire the financial planning tools and

“The decision to merge a Mexican and a U.S. company opened doors everywhere. It gave us access to amazing talent. It opened doors to big-name companies.”

One of the Inkstone apps. Photo courtesy of the company.

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support to obtain AS9100 cer tification. Finally, in 2010, the company opened a specialized aeronautical division and one year later became a fully-fledged aerospace supplier, manufacturing specialized components for Nolanco and Goodrich Landing Gear.

Par t of the success of Especialistas en Turbopartes is that it has been constantly challenged to innovate; in the words of its Director, Galo Ber tín, “The company has been developed primarily by generating its own technology because we know that this always helps the growth and strengthening of any business.”

Under these conditions, the meeting with TechBA could not have come at a better time. Thanks to the assess-ment and mentoring of this program, the company was able to open its doors to a highly demanding industry.

Jatziri Barrios, Manager of Especialistas’ Aeronautical Division, comments that vir tually the entire aerospace division was formed with the help of TechBA,

“The company wanted to get into this sector, but it was TechBA who took us step by step through the development of the business, from looking at investment needs, the product; they helped us in practically everything.”

Today, the titanium pieces that Especialistas en Tur-bopartes manufactures are exported in their entirety to Canada. They become carriers for the landing gear of the Boeing 777, the Boeing 767, and the Airbus 380, and the company is committed to obtaining a long-term agreement to continue the supply.

“FUMEC took us step by step through the development of the business, from looking at investment needs, the product; they helped us in practically everything.”

Galo Bertín and Jatziri Barrios, CEO and Manager of the Aeronautic Division of Especialistas en Turbopartes. Photo courtesy of the company.

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Xpertal, leading player in world technological change

In 2006, Monterrey Technological Institute’s Business Accelerator prompted young entrepreneur, David Camacho to get in touch with FUMEC. His company, Xpertal, had had some success in the domestic market and he wanted to take it to the next level: the interna-tional market. At the end of 2007, the company, spe-cialized in management solutions and business process management (BPM), began to shape its project in col-laboration with TechBA Silicon Valley.

Immersion in the neurological center of information technology under the guidance of TechBA enabled Xpertal to identify a market niche with growth op-portunities in the United States and Latin America. For better leverage, the company decided to move its headquar ters from Monterrey to San José, California, and begin the acceleration process.

According to David Camacho, CEO of Xpertal, the TechBA assessments changed his modus operandi drastically: “We had to literally reorganize the company to adapt to best practices in the United States. We needed client liaison management, a timely business strategy and to increase our par tnership network with other companies.”

Companies with global vision

In the current global economy, even the smallest businesses must keep abreast of what is hap-pening in the rest of the world, and especially of the most recent developments in the sector or industry in which they work.

Economies all over the planet are now so intertwined that growth in a certain sector on one con-tinent can put at risk the future of a group of companies on the other side of the globe.

For this reason, FUMEC is looking for Mexican businesses and business people to acquire and maintain a global vision which will enable them to better understand the dynamics of the mar-kets in which they move.

Moreover, companies which already have a global vision are encouraged to grow beyond the geographical limits of their region in order to compete with top players in international markets.

Global vision in business allows companies to stay ahead of changing market needs, to be up to date on best practices and keep those mechanisms which enable them to innovate and be rele-vant in a highly competitive world, well-oiled.

This last point was a revelation to Xpertal: it introduced the previously unthinkable possibility of sitting down with competitors to pursue collaborative projects, complement theirtechnologicalsolutionsandobtainmutualbenefits.

With this new vision, Xpertal has configured a net-work of 100 business par tners, including such giants as Deloitte, Accenture, Oracle, IBM and Everis, who see in Xpertal a trustworthy par tner for projects requir-ing a specialist in BPM solutions, which knows the Latin American market and has a solid international image.

The company currently maintains presence in the United States, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and

David Camacho, COO of Xpertal.

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Peru, and as a result of this expansion has registered annual sales growth in the last five years of between 40% and 60% and increased its workforce from eight to 83 people in six years.

One example of what synergies can create is Exalogic, the fastest process management machine on the planet, which Xpertal developed jointly with Sun for Metalsa and which allows business process integration and the consolidation of information on supply chains, client administration and human resources, in seconds.

Forza Global Solutions, a small, world class automotive company

Forza Global Solutions has learned to do international business in a big way with support from TechBA, the technology business accelerator. With just 30 perma-nent employees, this Morelos company provides diverse products and services to 24 vehicle assembly plants in Mexico, the United States and Venezuela, and has among its clients global names such as Chrysler, Ford, Nissan and Volkswagen.

In 1998, Guillermo Terrones conceived the idea of creating Forza while doing social service in the Morelos State University; the experience allowed him to identify the needs of vehicle assemblers and realize that here was a business opportunity.

Before meeting TechBA, the company sold protectors to avoid damage to vehicles during assembly, but after receiving consultation, its leaders realized that what they were really offering was much broader technical assistance to reduce the costs of damage during the as-sembly process. “Forza was one company before TechBA and is quite a different one now,” said Dalia Terrones, Guillermo’s sister and the company’s Sales Director.

This redefinition of its value offering was the key to star ting to win more clients. “Our sales grew expo-nentially from 2010 to 2011,” remembers Guillermo. “When we entered TechBA in 2008 we were giving

“We literally reorganize the company to adapt to best practices in the United States.”

assistance to one plant overseas, and afterwards our sales increased by 1000%, so much so that last year we did not have the capacity to attend to all our clients. TechBA taught us to detect what hur ts the client and focus our effor ts on finding a solution for it.”

Although the company has always had a strong call-ing towards innovation, this was reinforced by being in TechBA. “We innovate throughout the process and the products we offer have served as a model for compa-nies in other par ts of the world,” Guillermo pointed out. An example of this is a splash protector they designed for Volkswagen Puebla, subsequently adopted by Audi in Germany.

In spite of its enormous success, Forza, rather than rest-ing on its laurels, is working on the creation of a new Research Center which, as Guillermo says, “is worth more than all the company’s shares”. The company expects this brand new center to enable it to explore new sectors and offer innovative products which are compatible with its strengths; the economic roller-coaster has taught them that they cannot depend solely on the automotive sector.

Forza reduces damage costs during the assembly of automobiles. Photo courtesy of Taneli Rajala under the terms of Creative Commons.

“With just 30 employees Forza provides diverse products and services to 24 vehicle assembly plants in Mexico, the United States and Venezuela.”

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Alandra Medical, developing medical devices from concept to clinical trials

At only two years since its creation, Alandra Medical is boosting Mexico’s technological capacity to leverage existing opportunities in the health technology market on a global level.

Alandra Medical has two areas of work. One, selling its outsourcing services to develop medical devices and, at the same time, conducting clinical trials. And the other, supporting companies to convert their ideas into in-novative commercial applications, through acceleration services.

However, when the company was founded it lacked a clear business model, and TechBA Austin helped to define it. “TechBA helped us to define exactly what Al-andra Medical is, what our services are, our expertise, who our client is and to pinpoint our position against competitors,” said David Hite, its CEO.

As par t of the acceleration process, TechBA connected Alandra Medical with potential clients, who helped them fine-tune their value offering. “I went from being optimistic to being confident,” said David, who affirmed that his company is all set to achieve excellent results. “Today we have a team with tens of years of experi-ence and we know that our people are capable of development from concept to the clinical trial phase.”

In addition to the TechBA services, Alandra Medical has been supported by FUMEC’s Health Technologies Co-ordination which has helped it to broaden its network of contacts with other companies and key industry players in Mexico and countries like Germany, as well as helping to implement its quality management system and organize projects to access innovation funding from CONACYT and the Secretariat of Economy.

Alandra Medical is currently developing three of its own technologies in anesthesiology, intensive care and diabetes. This last is an electro-magnetic device to treat chronic wounds caused by diabetic foot.

Today the company has a portfolio of 14 patents and 27 patent applications with protection in the United States, Latin America, Europe and Asia, and has been exploring markets as much in Arizona as in Madrid.

Another of Alandra’s advantages are its strategic alli-ances with some of the most renowned universities in the United States and Mexico, with institutions like the Polytechnic Unit for Business Development and Competitiveness, the National Polytechnic Institute, the Research and Development Center for Health Sciences and the UNAM, to mention a few.

Digono, from survival to sustained growth

In 2010, when Digono got in touch with FUMEC, it did not have a value offering that differentiated it from the many other bespoke software companies. “We were a totally different company: we did not know where we were or where we were going and, like so many in this industry, we were struggling to survive,” recalls its Director, Carlos Mondragón.

MobileLeadershipwasthefirstFUMECprogramtocomeinto contact with the Morelia company and it offered as-sessment and liaison with Nokia, BlackBerry and QUAL-COMM, as well as inviting them to international events.

“TechBA helped us to define exactly what Alandra Medical is, what our services are, our expertise, who our client is and to pinpoint our position against competitors.”

Giovanny Sierra Hogg, Director of Business Development and Sales of Alandra Medical. Photo courtesy of México Emprende Newsletter.

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This exposure to new ways of doing business motivated Digono to seek a niche in the market where it could find international business opportu-nities. After a week of induction in TechBA Vancouver, it entered a pre-acceleration process.

Following this, Digono decided to continue towards acceleration, where it received feedback from figures like Paul Her tz and Steve Bocska. In addition, the com-pany opened commercial offices in Vancouver and made contact with international clients.

The assessment and work meetings helped Digono to develop its internal capacities and begin to write its story with a clearer heading, focusing on mobile appli-cation development for the enter tainment and culture industries. The company currently works with a Spanish publishing house, as well as with CONACULTA and five Mexican publishers, among which is the Economic Cultural Fund which reaches all of Latin America.

“With FUMEC we went from being survivors to becoming a focused, competitive and better positioned company.”

Digono’s staff. Photo courtesy of the company.

Digono can boast that from 2010 to 2011 it duplicated its sales and number of employees and, to its surprise, being an international company also had a positive ef-fect in the national market.

Confident of the support that FUMEC programs offer, the company also joined the New Media program, which allowed it to attend Siggraph in Vancouver, where it established contact with companies in the sector and generated new market opportunities.

According to the company’s Director, its first contact with FUMEC was a “shake-up” in terms of defining its business strategy, but the contact with the Foundation’s diverse programs has been worthwhile. “We went from being survivors to becoming a focused, competitive and better positioned company.”

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Ironbit, a winning company, in constant motion

Ironbit defines itself as an innovative, creative and dy-namic company. But there is another characteristic that describes it equally well: versatility. This firm, special-ized in mobile and web applications, has the capacity to generate a wide spectrum of apps because it knows how to handle news and publicity; but it has also made inroads into areas such as education, health and finance, and its portfolio includes person-al, corporate and government applications.

2008 was the year in which Ironbit had its first contact with FUMEC. At that time, as its CEO Ricardo Arriaga recalls, the company knew a lot about engineering and little about business, so the business consulting it re-ceived from the SATE program, and specifi-cally, the roadmap they developed, marked a milestone in the company’s history. From then on, Ironbit began to better plan its strat-egies to meet business goals.

In 2010 the company joined the TechBA pro-gram in Vancouver, where it was able to ma-ture its strategies and accelerate its growth

Companies which have evolved in several FUMEC programs

It takes time for some companies to make the changes necessary to get them on the road to suc-cess. This is especially true when talking about businesses trying to get ahead in highly specialized technological fields, as happens with the companies we support.

FUMEC has a diversity of programs which companies have begun to use as complementary. For eight years we have been working directly with companies; we have seen that several of them have been assessed at different times by the SATE or by Sectoral Coordinations and that they have also received support from our TechBA acceleration program. For many business people, even entering the strengthening program is a necessary step before going on to international acceleration.

Many of these businesses have seen great potential in FUMEC programs for enhancing many dif-ferent aspects of their operation, and have been able to take advantage of the support available to evolve, be more competitive and grow.

We are proud to have been able to serve these companies in different stages of their development and it also gives us enormous satisfaction to see business people return with the confidence that they will obtain the support they need to keep growing.

through assessments specific to business topics in its area: mobile technologies. The support from FUMEC also served to connect it with companies interested in its products and services, such as the Canadian Quick-Mobile, and Spanish Gigigo, who they met through Mobile Leadership, also from FUMEC, and with whom they are already building offshore mobile applications.

The company has grown remarkably and the different FUMEC programs have contributed to that, assures Ricardo Arriaga. In the last three years Ironbit grew

Ironbit’s staff. Photo courtesy of the company.

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50% in sales and 20% in its number of employees. The company has also become known for building applica-tions for clients such as Ticketmaster, Televisa and Telcel, among others.

In 2011, Ironbit created PLM Medicamentos, an app for Blackberry users which lets them obtain immedi-ate information about 10,000 drugs. As if that were not enough, the company has obtained resources from CONACYT’s Technology Innovation Fund to create a Wireless Technology Health Center. The company is still working with TechBA and is developing an application which enables the monitoring and prevention of dis-eases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.

Neoteck, development of innovative health solutions

Neoteck is an information technology company which in a few years has managed to generate innovative health proposals centered on process optimization and achieving high social impact.

Knowledge of the health picture in Mexico and the creative and technical capacity to design information technology solutions, enabled the Aguascalientes com-pany to develop the Vir tumedik integrated platform, an Internet-based electronic clinical archive which facilitates the job of doctors both in their practices and at hospital level as well as in public and private institutions.

In 2011, Neoteck began to receive support from FUMEC’s Health Technologies Coordination and, in the same year, par ticipated in an event organized and promoted by FUMEC that sought to push the develop-ment of mobile applications which supported the job of the Secretariat of Health of Oaxaca. The project sub-mitted by Neoteck won and as a result the company began to also receive consultancy from Mobile Leader-ship, a FUMEC initiative directed at mobile companies.

“The consulting Ironbit received from the SATE program, and specifically, the roadmap they developed, marked a milestone in the company’s history.”

The company presented a proposal for a mobile moni-tor for diabetes mellitus based on the use of electronic tablets which enable activities involving health educa-tion, prevention, diagnosis, early detection of complica-tions and treatment of this disease in difficult to access areas or under-developed communities. The tablets link with Vir tumedik and enable, among other functions, the geographical location of cases, organization of video-conferences and updating of control boards.

This development was put to test by Oaxaca Health Service through a pilot program conducted at the end of 2011. The program enabled Neoteck to access CONACYT’s Technology Innovation Fund in order to develop new mobile monitors for maternal mortality, high blood pressure, vaccination and diarrheal and re-spiratory diseases in children, among others. The moni-tors are designed to give special attention to remote communities to support the permanent and remote monitoring of various ailments.

As Fernando de Luna, Neoteck’s CEO says, work-ing with FUMEC has enabled him to get to know and locate his market better, and to focus on the real needs of the mobile technology sector. “The Foundation knows what the sector needs and what the industry is producing, and so it helps companies to strengthen and provide the solutions required.”

Personnel of Neoteck. Photo courtesy of the company.

“FUMEC knows what the sector needs, and so it helps companies to strengthen and provide the solutions required.”

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Intran-Flotamex, starting a new cycle

With more than 40 years in the automotive industry, Intran-Flotamex is a medium-sized company that knows the business inside out and the importance of keeping a finger on the market pulse.

In 2010, the supplier, which specializes in fuel measure-ment systems for the spare par ts market and resin impregnation to eliminate leaks, was convinced that it was mature enough to embark on a new cycle: to open up to the United States export market, but offering original equipment on that market as it does now in Mexico. With that goal in its sights, at the end of that year, Intran-Flotamex approached FUMEC.

Since then, the company has received support from FU-MEC through its Automotive Coordination and TechBA. Ricardo García Albarrán, Intran’s Project Manager, recalls, “We had the good for tune to par tner with an institution with experience in the automotive industry and which gave us valuable advice to put together the innovation project we had been developing and obtain financing from CONACYT.”

The project Ricardo refers to is a plastic module model for gas tanks which measure the fuel level, and whose design and functioning involves a technical innovation with the potential to compete in global markets.

With this product and a line of harnesses, automotive tubing and gas tank floats, Intran-Flotamex is planning to return to the original equipment market. In fact, the company began operations in 1969 producing origi-nal par ts for budding Mexican assemblers, Chrysler

de México and Vehículos Automotrices Mexicanos, but for strategy reasons left the market which it now seeks to recapture, this time hoping to do business internationally.

For Ricardo, FUMEC’s key contribution to the company was in strategic planning. “Now we are more focused on new developments; contact with FUMEC has en-abled us to enrich our line of business and open up to new markets.”

Ricardo is positive about the opportunities and challeng-es this represents. “We foresee many growth opportuni-ties in the new assemblers in Mexico, and we know that any of our products could have global impact. Today, our main challenge is to integrate the productive chains of thebigcompaniesandweareconfidentthatFUMECwill prove a very powerful tool for doing just that.”

Endotzi, exporting culinary tradition

In 1995 a group of farmers from the State of Mexico began to cultivate mushrooms for local consumption. It was a backyard production that only aspired to supply-ing the town of Jipilco, but when the production grew the farmers saw the need to bottle the surplus to avoid it being wasted.

So it was that Endotzi was created, a company which today produces 12 tons per month of fresh mushrooms and processes 300 tons of mushroom compost. Endotzi generates 30 direct jobs among associates and opera-tors, and 20 more positions in its processing plant. In addition, its calculations suggest it could be providing indirect employment to another 150 people.

The company has seven bottled products including: huitlacoche (Mexican truffle), fresh mushrooms, pickled mushrooms, and mushrooms in olive oil and chipotle, as well as cashew nuts and chocolate-covered cranberries, all considered gourmet products. Endotzi sells these An employee of Intran-Flotamex in its Morelos plant.

Photo courtesy of the company.

“Now we are more focused on new developments; contact with FUMEC has enabled us to enrich our line of business and open up to new markets.”

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products in different Mexican supermarkets and, in early 2012, began to export them to Spain.

This rural production company owes its success to the for tuitous combination of its visionary leader, Mariano Jacinto, and a group of associates who have been capable of seeing the importance of exploring myriad ways to market their products.

And it was exactly that eagerness to take their products outside Mexico which led Endotzi to work with the SATE and with the business acceleration program of TechBA Vancouver. “FUMEC gave us knowledge about the regulations and helped us move more quickly. Al-though we already had the intention to export, FUMEC helped us to better understand the panorama of the

Endotzi’s employees in the mushroom processing plant. Photo courtesy of the company.

foreign market and after that everything went very rapidly,” Mariano explained.

The SATE gave the company assessment for compliance with the national and inter-national standards they needed to be able to sell their products, and TechBA Vancou-ver gave them the tools to get acquainted with the Canadian market and consulting so they could export.

The company has already sent its products to Spain and in the medium term hopes to conquer the Canadian market. “We are working it all out; they are markets which do not open overnight. You have to go little by little,” says Mariano.

Today, Endotzi continues to work with the SATE with a view to initiating a research

and development project. “In Mexico there are no labo-ratories specialized in mushroom mycelia or seeds, so our intention is to seek the necessary support to have a laboratory specialized in mushroom strains and exotic mushrooms,” Mariano explained.

“FUMEC gave us knowledge about the regulations and to better understand the panorama of the foreign market. After that everything went very rapidly.”

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Vivoxie, creating a new generation of switchboards

In 2010, when Vivoxie approached FUMEC, its objective was simple: to find a company which developed custom cabinetry to market its switchboards. For this young company specializing in voice-over IP products, devel-oping its own technology was a distant dream. With a lot of effor t it might happen in four or five years, when they could get the necessary investment.

Nevertheless, the meeting with FUMEC has left Vivoxie with more than it expected: the discovery of its poten-tial and the real possibility of developing a full switch-board, with cabinet, proprietary hardware and software, with 100% Mexican technology.

As Alyed Tzompa, CEO of Vivoxie recalls, in 2009 the company had plenty of drive and experience in tele-communications but lacked the business knowledge to define and present a strong proposal which would win it access to adequate funding and connect it to top-tier companies and education institutions.

With the support and orientation of FUMEC’s Mi-crosystems Coordination, in 2010 and 2011 Vivoxie obtained financing from CONACYT’s Innovation Fund,

Vivoxie’s staff.

Companies with highly innovative value offerings

Small and medium-sized technology companies have a huge capacity for innovation, for gener-ating new products and services which cover specific needs of the market.

Innovation is a highly powerful tool for developing an attractive and sustainable value offering which guarantees the continuity of companies in this ever changing world. And the best of it is that all companies, regardless of the field they operate in, can innovate.

When a technology company discovers it can serve a specific market niche and adopts innova-tion as part of its growth strategy, the improvement in results is soon apparent.

Often, delineating the niche requires patience and perseverance, as well as flexibility from busi-ness people since it implies giving up trying to cover everything and concentrating on one area which, although small, can generate bigger profits.

FUMEC supports companies with high innovation potential, many of which are developing such novel solutions that rapid growth can be guaranteed.

participated in consulting programs from the Secre-tariat of Economy and worked in conjunction with the Autonomous University of Querétaro, and with MADE and Prefixa on the development of its cabinet and FPGA technology, respectively.

The outcome was that between 2010 and 2011, Vivoxie generated three patent registrations and five software copyrights.

But not only that: in just half the expected time, Vivoxie fulfilled its goal of developing a proprietary product. Power Voice is a voice-over IP switchboard which be-

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sides offering the best features among current switch-boards, is easy to configure, easy to scale, attractive and comes at a price well below the market average.

This new switchboard is expected to be on sale mid 2012 and its market debut will inaugurate a new busi-ness model in which the consumer will be the real owner of the technology; currently companies charge for each new interface or maintenance service the cli-ent needs, something that will not happen with Power Voice.

The company is currently negotiating with several distributors to sell the new product and trusts that its advantages will win the confidence of consumers.

Echopixel, 3D technology to the benefit of health

In 2006, Sergio Aguirre decided to embark on a new adventure: to sell his first business, and invest his capital and experience in the development of a 3D-technology stereoscope to create a new business. And so, Echopixel was born.

Sergio knew that 3D stereoscopic visualization could be useful in the medical field because it would help to recover valuable clinical information through the evaluation of three-dimensional images of the human anatomy. With this idea, Sergio approached FUMEC. “Basically we arrived with nothing: we had identified a possible niche and knew what we wanted to do, but we still had to build the equipment and understand how the market we wanted to enter worked.”

Backed by TechBA Silicon Valley, Echopixel took on the task of refining its idea and polishing the first prototype of its novel platform. The system was Z Space, and it al-lowed doctors to evaluate human tissue and organs as vir tual 3D holographic objects, using images from com-puterized tomography, magnetic resonance, ultrasound and other techniques. The technology enabled doctors to observe the organs in the body as holograms over

“Thanks to FUMEC’s support Vivoxie developed a new full switchboard with 100% Mexican technology.”

the work table, and diagnose colon, lung, liver, breast, and bone ailments, etc.

ForSergio,oneofthemostimportantbenefitsofwork-ing with TechBA is having obtained the basics for “con-figuringtherightcontactnetworkandtherightteam”.Echopixel has been able to bring on board the valuable experience of renowned researchers and institutions, such as Dr. Judy Yee from the University of California, a pioneer in virtual colonoscopy, and experts from Stanford and the Cleveland Clinic, as well as from companies like Philips, Siemens and HOLOGIC, which besides contribut-ing their knowledge, have become potential clients.

In addition, Echopixel is still working to obtain financ-ing with its sights set on consolidating the business and developing it to its full potential.

Once the technology gets past the clinical validation stage it is in now, Echopixel expects to get off on the right foot in a potential 3.5 billion dollar market. Sergio has the highest expectations. “I am confident that we are going to do very well. Our goal for the next two years is to have two or three products on the market through strategic allies and have between eight and ten registered patents, while continuing to expand into new clinical applications.”

Sergio Aguirre, CEO of Echopixel with a certificate of participation in an event of the University of California, Berkeley. Photo courtesy of the company.

“Our goal is to have two or three products on the market, while continuing to expand into new clinical applications.”

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Prefixa, growing with its feet on the ground

Prefixa is a company which provides advanced 3D industrial inspection solutions at world level. To do so, it uses a proprietary hardware and software platform and a set of algorithms which, through FPGA technology, enable the recovery of 3D images to verify the shape of manufactured objects that require very strict qual-ity control, such as medical devices and aircraft pieces, among others.

In 2007, when the young Puebla company began to col-laborate with FUMEC, it was interested in penetrating the North American market. For Miguel Arias, Prefixa’s CEO, the boost from the TechBA program did more than just allow him to meet his proposal: it brought with it a change of vision for his company and the evo-lution of its value offering.

“We were a very young and naïve company and with FUMEC’s help we have become a more mature com-pany with more realistic knowledge of the international market. At first, we just wanted to sell a technology, but now we sell everything we can through a technology platform, giving more value to our clients’ business.”

PrefixahasactivelyparticipatedintheStrategicAllianceand Innovation Network (AERI in Spanish) for FPGA coordinated by FUMEC, which enabled it to collaborate with research institutions such as the Popular Autono-mous University of the State of Puebla (UPAEP) and the National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics (INAOE), as well as other companies to create innovative projects.PrefixacollaboratedwithVivoxie,forexample,to develop the electronic platform for its switchboard.

The company thus began to develop projects with clients in Mexico and the United States. Last year it reported significant growth in sales and duplicated its work force, and for 2012 plans to develop more products, become better established and systematize its access to new projects.

His par ticipation with FUMEC, has also given Miguel Arias the opportunity to promote FPGA technology in Mexico and generate greater collaboration since the AERI “has established a bridge between the academic and the commercial; it represents an array of possibili-ties for technological applications with the potential to turn into business”.

The Director of Prefixa recognizes that although the Foundation plays a relevant role in the growth of com-panies, that growth depends to a greater degree on the entrepreneurs. “Entering a program like TechBA does not bring you the clients on a plate, it simply opens your eyes to how things work, so that as a businessman you can apply your own intuition and capacity to do business with full knowledge of the reality.”

Bustar Alimentos, innovative vocation applied to food development

Bustar Alimentos engages in the development of agave-based functional foods; in other words, foods which of-fer health benefits, either because of cer tain nutritional qualities or because they have been designed to reduce the risk of disease.

In 2010, after an invitation from the Secretariat of Eco-nomic Promotion of Jalisco and the Chamber of the Food Industry, Bustar made contact with FUMEC to participate in both its strengthening and acceleration programs.

According to Gustavo Bustillo, the company Director, FUMEC was always receptive to its needs and provided

“TechBA opens your eyes to how things work, so that as a businessman you can apply your own intuition and capacity to do business with full knowledge of the reality.”

Prefixa’s staff. Photo courtesy of the company.

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A worker harvesting agave plant. Photo courtesy of the company.

very timely support. Working as a team they were able to develop the company’s technology roadmap, incor-porate good manufacturing practices, prepare for audits and, something really important: redefine the market the company was to target.

At first, Gustavo remembers, the idea was to continue under the traditional marketing scheme; however, with the Foundation’s support, Bustar redefined his objec-tives and oriented his business towards technology development and specialization.

As a result, the company went from offering ingredi-ents as just another product, to offering what they call “smart supply,” that is, providing clients with finished products similar to those in their portfolio.

Currentlythecompanyisfocusedondevelopingthefirstclinically-proven, functional foods in Mexico: functional agavesyrupsandinsulin-typefructans(solublefiber);solublefiberapplicationsfordailyconsumption;andfruit-based beverages and consumer products. They are all in thefinaldevelopmentstageandawaitingclinicaltrials.

The push from TechBA to focus the company’s techno-logy research and development vocation has allowed it to distinguish itself from the competition which gives priority to sales volumes and immediate results over

long term vision; as well as to par tner with other aca-demic institutions to pursue joint projects.

Bustar’s main challenge today is to consolidate its mar-ket. In Mexico, it is already working with top-line food companies and, recently, together with TechBA Madrid, conducted a market study of functional foods in Spain to identify business opportunities there. The result: its products are already being validated by Spanish compa-nies and it is on the verge of closing contracts.

“Bustar has redefined his objectives and oriented his business towards technology development and specialization.”

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Human Resources Development in Science and Technology

FUMEC knows that science and technology are crucial tools for improving the world we live in. Conditions today make it more possible than ever for the population to use these tools to rapidly gain new knowledge and take better advantage of scientific and technological advances.

Furthermore, the current economy is demanding highly qualified personnel, capable of proposing solutions to the variety of economic, social and environmental chal-lenges we are facing. Around the world, the number of jobs which require science and technology professionals has grown more rapidly than the demand for profes-sionals in other areas.

According to Anders Hedberg, an expert in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education (STEM), today’s economy requires people to be capable of interacting with very different people, while handling a common language for communicating and debating their ideas.

Inquiry-based STEM education has been demonstrated internationally to facilitate the acquisition of skills in children and young people which enable them to evolve in today’s knowledge economy: skills like the ability to analyze problems and propose solutions, working in a team and learning by themselves.

Human resources training in science and technology is a central par t of FUMEC’s effor ts to promote social and economic development.

One of the greatest riches we have is our human resources, which is why FUMEC encourages programs that provide our children and young people with a solid foundation to face an ever more competitive world.

FUMEC supports the use of inquiry-based science education programs (IBSE) at elementary level through

Innovation in Science Education (INNOVEC), an organization created by FUMEC which has promoted these systems for 10 years and has been able to posi-tion them in 12 Mexican states working with 415,862 elementary level students.

IBSE programs have been successfully implemented in the United States, China, France, Australia, Sweden and many other countries which have seen how students using these systems improve their learning of sciences and their performance in humanities and letters.

At high school level, FUMEC works through its Prin-ciples of Engineering in High School Program which seeks to establish collaboration with organizations and specialists in the United States and Mexico in order to generate innovative initiatives and motivate more and more young people to pursue careers related to sci-ence, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Inquiry-based science education and STEM education can contribute to improving the quality of life of young people by giving them the opportunity to aspire to better paid jobs and even the possibility of developing their own businesses offering highly innovative products and services.

The following pages present success stories as a result of the work of INNOVEC and the Principles of En-gineering in High School Program which illustrate what can be achieved by creating synergies in favor of education.

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State of Mexico, a team “in love” with inquiry-based science education

The State of Mexico has more than 90 thousand el-ementary students who are learning science differently. For them, a typical science class involves interacting with classmates and teacher to ask questions, do investigations, work as a team and seek solutions to everyday problems.

A class of this kind might include handling insects, organ-isms or chemical substances and many other activities de-signedsothechildrencanexperiencesciencefirst-hand.This learning will serve them in everyday life and give them the tools to continue learning throughout life.

These children and their teachers form part of a pro-gram which uses inquiry-based science education (IBSE) programs, and which are applied with the help of 2,568 teachers in 154 schools in the State of Mexico. The IBSE programs have the support of federal and local education authorities and of Innovation in Science Education (INN-OVEC), the civil organization, created and assisted by FU-MEC, which promotes the use of these systems in Mexico.

The team which makes up the state-level IBSE program has seen that these systems generate positive changes in the education of the children. “We are really happy that our elementary schoolers have the chance to see science in a different way, that they can investigate, experiment and acquire excellent foundations for their

education,” said Blanca Estela García, Coordinator of the IBSE Program in the State of Mexico.

For her, participation in this project is a source of pride because her job lets her be an agent of change in her com-munity. “We are in love with the program, because we are living it with the children and with their teachers. We have had the opportunity to receive visitors from other coun-tries and they have even asked the children questions, with the help of an interpreter, and they have been pleasantly surprised and happy to see how the program is achieving a change in the education of our children.”

María Magdalena García, a teacher working as an Educa-tion Advisor in the state IBSE Program, commented that with inquiry-based learning, children and teachers alike enjoy the science classes, and she adds, “Teachers tell us that the students might skip the music or physical educa-tion class, but they do not skip the science class because they are really motivated, really engaged and feel that

they are making interesting discoveries.”

Although the teachers who teach IBSE agree that these systems give them an opportunity to learn and train, as well as to interact in a more direct, organized and exciting way with the group, the introduc-tion of the Basic Education Comprehensive Reform has reinforced their satisfaction with using the programs; many of the ob-jectives established in the Reform coincide with IBSE principles.

“The IBSE program is very much in line with the Reform being implemented in ba-sic education since it encourages the de-velopment of scientific competences, and also fosters positive attitudes and values like collaboration, respect for classmates and for the teacher, so IBSE programs fully

Elementary School children in the State of México studying the chemical tests unit. Photo courtesy of INNOVEC.

“We are really happy that our elementary schoolers have the chance to see science in a different way, that they can investigate, experiment and acquire excellent foundations for their education.”

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comply with the purpose of the Reform,” María Magda-lena commented.

In the more than four years that Blanca Estela has been working with IBSE programs, she has had several signs of acceptance of the program and one of them is the numerous applications to incorporate new schools. “We have at least 100 requests from schools wanting to come into the program, but due to lack of resources, we do not have the opportunity to bring them in, at least not at the moment.”

As the Coordinator says, another indicator of the success of IBSE is the evalua-tions made by the Secretariat of Education on the programs which the teachers find most useful. “Countless programs come to the schools: the national reading program, qual-ity schools, well, lots, and the teachers have rated the IBSE programs number one. It is really great because it means they like it and it is giving them results.”

Ongoing teacher training is an integral par t of the IBSE Program and the teachers have shown their commitment to this kind of teaching, even

giving up their weekends to attend training in these systems.

Teachers appreciate the training the program provides because it gives them elements to improve their work. An example of this is the science learning diploma course which was given during 2010, which 40 teachers from the State of Mexico attended. “I believe it was the best training experience we have had in all our academic and work training,” commented Blanca Estela. “Even professors with doctorates came out saying it was the best diploma course they had ever taken because it gave them theory, pedagogy, approaches, strategies, didactics… so, there you have it.”

What is interesting is that the diploma course tran-scended the group who took it. “Many of the attendees went on to share the experience in their places of work and there were teachers who called us asking when we were giving another course of this kind.”

The involvement of the team which promotes IBSE in the state is evident by their use of “in love”: “We are in love with this program”, “The teacher falls in love with the program and passes it on to the students”, “Who-ever comes into the IBSE program falls in love with science and does not want to leave.”

Something very good must be happening in the class-rooms of the State of Mexico when science, tradition-ally seen as serious and boring, generates such positive emotions and attitudes among students, teachers and education authorities alike.

Professors of the State of Mexico during a trainning session. Photo courtesy of INNOVEC.

Mexican teams attend NSRC strategic planning workshop

In July 2010, the INNOVEC team and state teams from Nuevo León, Vera-cruz, the State of Mexico and Zacatecas par ticipated in a Strategic Plan-ning and Educational Training workshop convened by the National Science Resources Center (NSRC) in Virginia, United States.

The aim was to familiarize attendees with the elements of the NSRC systemic model, which includes an inquiry-based curriculum, a professional development program, evaluation tools, contact with the community and the handling of materials in class.

INNOVEC supported the formation of multidisciplinary teams from each state made up of a state coordinator, a local government representative and a local business representative. During the workshop, the attendees develo-pedafive-yearstrategicplanforinquiry-basedscienceeducationincludingthe components of the NSRC model.

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“There is appreciation for the science program from the teachers and from students, and the schools have adopted it as an element which gives them added value.”

Nuevo León, schools proud of the inquiry based science learning program

In 2012 the state of Nuevo León celebrated 10 years of applying inquiry-based science education in its elementary and pre-schools, with the support of state and federal education authorities, and INNOVEC, a civil organization which promotes the use of these systems in Mexico.

There are currently over 150 thousand students learn-ing sciences with IBSE and this is possible thanks to the invaluable collaboration of the more than 5 thousand teachers who have trained for that purpose.

The work of the promotion team for the IBSE Pro-gram has borne fruit and, as teacher Adriana Elizondo, its State Coordinator says, today this program is well established in schools and has even become a source of pride for the students, teachers and school authorities who par ticipate. “There is appreciation for the program from the school administration, from teachers and from students, and the schools have adopted it as an element which gives them added value.”

An example of that pride was apparent when an ele-mentary school on the outskir ts of Monterrey received an unexpected visit from the governor’s wife and the Undersecretary of Education to launch an oral hygiene campaign. The teachers wanted to present the best they had and decided on the IBSE Program. “They wan-

ted to show that their children were smart and could answer any questions,” commented Adriana, “so the Un-dersecretary and the governor’s wife saw the science program in operation and were genuinely impressed.”

On another occasion, members of the Mad Sciences program, which holds science fairs around the country, told the State Coordinator that it was amazed with the organization of the group she presented. “Your schools, even though they are in disadvantaged areas, are like private colleges, they tell me. The way the children par ticipate and engage we do not see in other states. We have been all around the Republic and are very surprised by the attitude of the teacher and the children; from setting the rules for par ticipation, raising hands and waiting for instructions. We do not see that in other places.”

Another tangible result of the IBSE programs with the Nuevo León students is that many of them, in spite of their young age, have a clear inclination towards science careers. A survey on professions found that more than 30% of elementary students in the state had a science-related vocation, while the national average hovers

Professors of the State of Mexico during a trainning session on soils. Photo courtesy of INNOVEC.

Mexican elementary school children during an ecosystems lesson. Photo courtesy of INNOVEC.

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between 5% and 10%. Fur thermore, the children of Nuevo León “do not just tell you the profession, but sometimes the specialty. They do not just want to be doctors any more, they say they want to be pediatri-cians or opticians, or in engineering they mention mechatronics or aeronautics,” said Adriana.

With the new Basic Education Comprehensive Reform, the state teams in charge of training the teachers and providing the materials to take the IBSE Programs into the classroom, have another reason to push its program.

“The new Reform is practically made for this program because they are 100% compatible. The Reform says textually that the goal is for students to have basic science training which orients them to develop their in-tellectual capacities, form opinions and make decisions. The IBSE Program does all that and also enables us to form children and young people who learn throughout their lives, because it gives them self-learning tools,” Adriana concludes.

Diploma course for teachers and visit from experts to a school in the State of Mexico

Between August 2010 and January 2011 a Science Education Diploma Course was given. The course was organized by INNOVEC and the Secretariat of Public Education of the State of Mexico, with the help of the Motorola Solutions Foundation and the University of the Valley of Mexico.

The aim was to support the professional development of pedagogical advisers and teachers who apply the IBSE Program in the state. National and international specialists from institutions such as the UNAM, UPN and the Secretariat of Public Education facilitated the sessions.

Course attendees emphasized how the inquiry-based approach had changed their perception of science, and the importance of encouraging students to learn with this approach.

Fur thermore, in November 2011, a group of six experts in inquiry-based science education from the United States, Sweden, Australia and Germany, visited Eudoxia Calderón Elementary School in the State of Mexico to see the IBSE Program at work in Mexican classrooms. The experts were able to verify that the school had successfully adopted the inquiry-based approach on seeing the students par ticipate actively and enthusiastically during the class.

International specialists in science teaching visiting an elementary school in the State of Mexico. Photo courtesy of the IBSE state program.

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CECyTEQ, laying the foundation to form the engineers of the future

There is a program in Querétaro which is motivating young high school students to pursue engineering-related professional careers. The program is called Engineering Basics and was star ted by Carlos Luhrs, Director General of the College of Scientific and Technological Studies of the State of Querétaro (CECyTEQ), with the suppor t of FUMEC’s Principles of Engineering in High School Program.

The origin of Engineering Basics goes back to 2008, when Carlos met FUMEC’s CEO, Guillermo Fernán-dez, at a meeting on high school education and the two talked about what could be done to encourage more young people to pursue careers in science, technology, mathematics and engineering, which have the potential to offer them a better future as well as contributing much-needed talent to the current knowledge economy.

Months later, FUMEC invited CECyTEQ and other Mexican education institutions to visit the Science Academy of South Texas (SciTech) high school to learn about the Project Lead The Way (PLTW) model, a pro-

gram in which students develop their skills in science and technology interactively.

The PLTW is renowned across the United States; its students surpass the average grades of other kids their age in reading, math and science exams. The program is also helping to eliminate the gap that exists with Latino students, who generally enter high school with low grades but after being in the program are able to reach the level of the rest of the students.

During the visit to Texas, Carlos Luhrs began to see the potential of his own institution to promote a simi-lar project. “That visit gave us an idea of what we could do, so we star ted a pilot program with three groups of 35 kids. We already had the infrastructure and the content, and we concentrated on training the teachers and inviting the students. From then on, FUMEC has been accompanying us and suppor ting alliances with other institutions.”

Three years later, Engineering Basics already operates in four CECyTEQ schools with a total of 524 students in different high school semesters. The first generation of this program is due graduate in June 2012, and the results are really encouraging. “In the school where the program began, 82% of students already have a defini-tion of the engineering career they want to pursue and even know where they want to study it,” affirmed the Director of CECyTEQ.

Another achievement is having awakened the interest of the school community. “There is increasing participation from people, lots of enthusiasm from students, from par-ents and from teachers linked to the program,” Carlos pointed out. He added that, “Sometimes the most inter-ested are the parents, because one of the great family projects is to guarantee their children’s future.”

The seriousness with which Engineering Basics works has attracted a series of institutional allies like the

“There is increasing participation from people, lots of enthusiasm from students, from parents and from teachers linked to the program.”

Students of the Engineering Basics program in Querétaro. Photo courtesy of CECyTEQ.

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Courses “To Be an Engineer”

During 2010 FUMEC facilitated three introductory engineering courses at high school level, known as “To Be an Engineer”. The training has been given in John Hopkins University in the United States for more than 10 years for students to obtain problem-solving skills as if they were engineers, and is given in the University of California, Santa Barbara as a summer course.

The two-week course presents the ideas, reasoning and problem solving methods of engineers in an interactive and industrious environment. Attendees learn to work in a team by performing experiments, projects and tasks.

The courses were given by Alejandro Parra, a researcher from the Univer-sity of California, Santa Barbara. The first was given in June 2010 to 20 students, and the second in August of the same year with 10 professors, all from the University of Veracruz.

In December 2010, a third course was given with 13 professors from the Technical College of Higher Edu-cation of Coacalco (TesCo) in the State of Mexico, who in March 2011 gave a similar one-week course to 20 high school students.

Physics Center of the UNAM, the InteQsoft cluster, the Advanced Technology Center CIATEQ, the Polytechnic University of Querétaro, the Engineering Faculty of the Autonomous University of Querétaro and the Techno-logical University of Querétaro, to mention a few.

The Director of CECyTEQ is convinced that Engineer-ing Basics responds to the state’s industrial context.

“Querétaro is known for attracting companies which generate high added value jobs, and we know that this value is created from knowledge. This technological development requires people with solid training and that is precisely what we are giving them.”

One of the courses “To Be an Engineer”. Photo courtesy of TESCO.

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Health, Environment and Energy

Health is one area where there are great opportunities for collaboration between Mexico and the United States. Our countries share one of the most dynamic borders on the planet. In addition, the greater integration of North American markets has meant an increase in the exchange of people and goods between both countries, also increasing the possibility of infectious outbreaks.

This commits us to maintaining closer binational col-laboration in order to reinforce our epidemiological surveillance measures and food safety practices to avoid situations which put the health of the population at risk.

FUMEC works in coordination with the health authori-ties of both countries to channel United States govern-ment funds to strengthen the capacities and infrastruc-ture of the Mexican health system, and to have a more robust epidemiological surveillance system and better-trained human resources capable of responding to any health emergency.

Another health issue which transcends our borders is the safety of the food we eat, both fresh and processed, since the economies of Mexico and the United States are dependent on one another in terms of food.

Mexico is the main supplier of farm products to the North American region, with total exports reach-ing 16.9 billion dollars a year. The United States is the biggest market for these products and receives 80% of Mexican exported farm produce. Since the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement, these exports have increased by 9% every year.

With the support of FUNDEMEX, an organization cre-ated by CCE, the Mexican Business Coordinating Council, FUMEC has worked with groups of beekeepers in sev-eral states around the country to help them adopt food safety measures and strengthen their business capacities to market their products on international markets. Similarly, it has helped 17 Mexican businesses to adopt food safety measuresandobtainthenecessarycertificationtoexport.

Regarding the environment, FUMEC has been col-laborating with the Molina Center for Energy and the Environment (MCE2) to drive two projects with the support of the National Ecology Institute of Mexico and the University of California in San Diego. The first of these is seeking to create a monitoring network of carbon dioxide, water and heat exchange flows in Mexico, with a view to consolidating a national moni-toring system. This project will allow more information to be obtained for the evaluation of climate change strategies and policies.

The second project is a case study of the contamina-tion in the Mexicali-Imperial Valley atmospheric basin. The results will help with the implementation of climate change mitigation and air quality programs at local, regional and transborder levels. In November 2011, the final report was delivered with a summary of the results and recommendations.

Finally, FUMEC has tightened its relationship with the Secretariat of Energy in Mexico so that the institution can help the development of research and energy de-velopment projects from companies allied to research centers, through the Energy Sustainability Fund, and recovering the best practices of Small Business Innova-tion Research (SBIR) of the Department of Energy of the United States.

Below are the advances of our binational collaboration work on health, food safety and energy.

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Supporting binational efforts on epidemiological surveillance

Through its Border Health Collaboration Program, FUMEC acts as a fiduciary agent to channel funds from United States government institutions towards diverse border health initiatives which seek to improve Mexican epidemiological surveillance systems along the border.

The resources to operate these programs come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHS) and the United States State Department. FU-MEC channels the funds to the General Directorate of Epidemiology (DGE) and to the Institute of Diagnostics and Epidemiological Reference (InDRE) in Mexico, which are responsible for operating the following programs.

Early Warning Infectious Disease Surveillance (EWIDS)

This project seeks to strengthen coordination between border states to broaden the epidemiological sur-veillance capacity at state and local level; to conduct research, share key information and train health person-nel to carry out these activities.

From 2010 to 2011, $968,688 dollars were channeled into the project. Among the important results was the training of more than 20 professionals from InDRE and from National Health Laboratories of Mexico in topics such as: measures to strengthen collaboration with laboratories from the United States and Canada; techniques for the handling of agents with the potential

for use as biological weapons; management of biological risks in laboratories; and strategies for facing emergent infectious diseases.

Another achievement is the development of the pilot program for the Aler taMEX system, which facilitates the registration of infectious disease cases via Internet and is developed by Technology Associates International Corporation (TAIC).

Border Infectious Disease Surveillance (BIDS)

The project consists of a network which performs sentinel surveillance of transmissible diseases like viral hepatitis and undifferentiated fever syndrome, including Nile virus, dengue and influenza. From 2010 to 2011, $195,301 dollars were channeled for this project, which has achieved:

» Approval of binational hepatitis surveillance protocols.

» A supervision and assessment visit to the staff of BIDS sites in Mexicali and Tijuana in Baja California for the implementation of prevention and control measures on both sides of the border.

» Updating of the Laboratory Manual project and monitoring of institutional procedures to facilitate the import and export of samples and reagents.

» The training of an InDRE professional in molecular biology techniques for the diagnosis of Rickettsia bacteria in CDCs.

Surveillance and response to seasonal influenza

This project seeks to generate the infrastructure necessary to obtain information in order to face a possible outbreak of seasonal or pandemic flu. FUMEC has supported the management and channeling of

Personnel of DGE and InDRE in a workshop to prepare them for emergencies. Photo courtesy of InDRE.

“The Border Health Collaboration Program acts as a fiduciary agent to channel funds from United States government institutions towards diverse border health initiatives.”

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resources for this project from October 2011, which reach $55,840 dollars. As a result, sentinel surveillance systems and influenza surveillance units have been de-veloped which have laboratory support.

Biohazard management in public health

This initiative allows the organization of an annual workshop so that health personnel can learn about the concepts of biological risk management (including risk evaluation and mitigation) and their integration into quality systems, as well as an approach for the

Personnel of InDRE in a training on bioterrorism agents. Photo courtesy of InDRE.

“FUMEC is a serious and experienced organization in fund administration, which has helped us in good money management and in setting up collaboration networks with other institutions.”

identification and application of biosafety and bios-ecurity in laboratory procedures. Between 2010 and 2011, $71,580 dollars from the Biosecurity Engagement Program, of the United States State Department were channeled into this workshop.

The Foundation has contributed its knowledge on fund management and its experience in the relation with United States government institutions to these initia-tives. “I believe FUMEC is a serious and experienced organization in fund administration, which has helped us in good money management and in setting up collabo-ration networks with other institutions and for different projects,” said Ricardo Cortés Alcalá, Director of the Interinstitutional Liaison Office of the General Director-ate of Epidemiology in Mexico.

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Unlike earlier projects, where the only par ticipants were an organized group of producers and a civil soci-ety organization to accompany the development pro-cess, this time various groups of apiarists are involved, as well as universities, research centers and businesses, so that producers develop their organizational and business capacities and consolidate a group of sustain-able business in the long term.

FUMEC’s experience in food safety and in the devel-opment of competitiveness skills have been key in the relationship with FUNDEMEX. “We really like working with FUMEC,” explains Iliana Molina, Head of Programs of FUNDEMEX. “Their level of commitment is impres-sive, their knowledge of technical issues, good safety practices and the management of everything related to honey production. Added to that, the work they do in the field is really good because people are so involved, you can see their rapport with the group, the team work and how they identify the strengths and allies to accomplish objectives.”

“We know the work FUMEC does will not make beekeeping groups dependent because the work and development remain with the rank and file and knowledge is passed to the beekeepers.”

FUMEC and FUNDEMEX, improving the quality of life of Mexican beekeepers

In 2009, FUMEC’s Food Safety Program answered a call for proposals from the Mexican Business Founda-tion (FUNDEMEX) in order to obtain resources for a productive project with beekeepers in Villa de Allende, State of Mexico. After evaluating the proposals re-ceived, FUNDEMEX decided to finance this initiative, which was developed successfully, benefitting 40 honey producers directly and 120 indirectly.

The project marked the beginning of a very enriching collaboration between both institutions; since then FU-MEC has continued to par ticipate in calls from FUN-DEMEX and was able to obtain resources to help two other groups of beekeepers in Tlaxcala and Yucatán. In total, these three projects have benefitted 125 produc-ers directly and a fur ther 600 indirectly.

In 2011, FUNDEMEX decided to change tack in or-der to pursue projects with market potential, with the possibility of redistributing wealth equitably among the base groups, and concentrate effor ts on a defined territory, based on economic vocation and the genera-tion of strategic alliances. Thus, from an alliance with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, FUNDEMEX decided to implement a new joint project with FUMEC and other allies targeted towards Maya beekeepers of Yucatán.

“An important aspect of the selection of our allies is that FUNDEMEX promotes grassroots development, that is, the development of community groups, and we know the work FUMEC does will not make beekeep-ing groups dependent on the organization because the work and development remain with the rank and file and knowledge is passed to the beekeepers,” com-mented Natalia Wills, Subdirector of Operations of FUNDEMEX.

This project in Yucatán seeks to strengthen the honey production chain in the municipalities of Santa Elena, Teabo and Yaxcabá through the creation of a micro cluster which facilitates organization and improves the competitiveness of beekeepers. In the medium term, their income and quality of life is expected to improve.

Beekeepers of Yucatán during a life skills workshop.

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The two organizations seek to empower the grassroots commu-nities, and that is something that FUMEC has done with success. “In the FUMEC projects it is interesting to see how par ticipants acquire very useful tools to form their business, from questions of self-esteem and human development to questions on organization and leadership, and the exchange of information, so if any producer is good in one aspect, he puts that at the disposal of everyone else. They all begin to collaborate and to understand that the effor t should be collective and this generates ben-efits,” Iliana pointed out.

Another factor which has gener-ated synergies between the two organizations is that both support social development. “We have a very similar work philosophy, that is why we believe FUMEC is the ideal ally to join forces with and take a project to the next level,” commented Iliana. Natalia adds, “The work has been really easy because we speak the same language and complement each other, above all in the technical par t that FUMEC has and the relations par t that FUNDEMEX has; in the end it generates a true alli-ance where each player creates added value.”

In Yucatán they will seek to create a network of Maya promoters and technicians to accompany other bee-

Beekeepers from the state of Tlaxcala during a visit from FUNDEMEX members.

keepers to implement quality improvement processes and be able to cer tify their products. Another objective is to develop high added value products for expor t, with application in the food, health and cosmetics industry.

Both organizations expect this effor t to contribute to the reduction of pover ty levels in the region and improve the quality of life of the producers and their families.

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learn about the institution’s support programs. Dur-ing the visit, they discussed the possibility of the DOE supporting binational collaboration projects between companies and research institutions from Mexico and the United States in areas in which the DOE is working.

In August 2011, the Undersecretary of Energy, Sergio Alcocer, also traveled to Washington to interview with high-level officials from the DOE and address collabo-ration on energy issues between the two countries and, in par ticular, to analyze the DOE’s experience in research projects and technological development pre-sented by SMEs in the sector.

The visit opened the door for the SBIR Director in the DOE, Manny Oliver, to visit Mexico in September 2011 to hold talks with officials from SENER, CONACYT, the Secretariat of Economy and academic institutions and research centers. In the meetings, Oliver shared the SBIR’s experiences and results for the support of technological innovation, through the par ticipation of businesses in order to make proposals with high com-mercial potential which, in the medium term, would generate high value jobs.

Oliver’s visit to Mexico served as a platform for the Embassy of the United States in Mexico and FUMEC to convene a conference on technological innovation aimed at energy-related businesses with which FUMEC is working in the states of Nuevo León, Baja California, Mexico state and the Federal District.

“FUMEC has proposed revisiting the experience of the SBIR program of the U.S. Department of Energy, which encourages the active participation of companies in the making of proposals with high commercial potential.”

FUMEC and SENER drive the technological development of energy sector SMEs

Since 2010 FUMEC and the Secretariat of Energy (SENER) have worked together to enable Mexican technology businesses in the sector to have more par ticipation in the Sustainable Energy Fund operated by SENER and CONACYT. The aim is for companies to be able to meet the scientific-technological demands of the area, to develop technologically and to achieve bet-ter positioning in global markets.

To that end, FUMEC has proposed revisiting the experi-ence of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program of the United States Department of Energy (DOE), which encourages the active par ticipation of companies in the making of proposals with high com-mercial potential and accelerate the transition from the production development phase through to market penetration.

In July 2011, a group of officials from SENER and CONACYT visited the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office of the DOE in Washington D.C., to meet with the Director of Technology, Samuel Baldwin, and

FUMEC and SENER seek that more Mexican energy companies make proposals with high commercial potential.

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Directory

Program Coordinator

Innovation Driven Economic Development

Regional and Sectoral Initiatives GC Lilia Arechavala Aerospace José Luis MéndezAutomotive Carlos MenesesClean Technologies César RiveraHealth Technologies Carlos MartínezFood Technologies Ana BoetaInformation Technologies Iván ZavalaMicrosystems Guillermina AvendañoMobile Leadership Mariano ContrerasBusiness Technology Assistance System (SATE) Jaime LoéTechBA: Technology Business Accelerator GC Haru YamasakiTechBA Arizona Haru YamasakiTechBA Austin Luis MedinaTechBA Madrid Eugenio MarínTechBA Michigan Raúl CarvajalTechBA Montreal Leoncio SalaburuTechBA Seattle Itzam de GortariTechBA Silicon Valley Adolfo TaveraTechBA Vancouver Federico Goroztieta

Human Resources Development in Science and Technology

Innovation in Science Education (INNOVEC) Claudia RoblesPrinciples of Engineering in High School Ignacio Castro

Health, Environment and Energy

Binational Health Collaboration Fernanda GuerreroEnergy César RiveraFood Safety Cristina Acevedo

FUMEC Offices

El Paso Mike AcostaWashington D.C. Jessica Borth

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Our offices

Mexico, D.F.San Francisco 1626, Despacho 205, Col. Del Valle, C.P. 03100, Mexico, D.F.Phone: (+52 55) 52 00 05 60

Washington D.C.The National Academies of Science500 5th Street NW, Washington D.C. 20001 U.S.APhone: (+202) 334 25 22

El Paso, TexasThe University of Texas at El Paso1514 Hawthorne StreetEl Paso, Texas, 79902, U.S.A.Phone: (+915) 747 5196 and 747 6829

TechBA Arizona4600 E Washington St, Suite 300Phoenix, AZ 85034, U.S.APhone: (+602) 772 4980

TechBA Austin3925 West Braker LaneAustin, Texas 78759, U.S.APhone: (+512) 305 0974

TechBA MadridC/Santiago Grisolia 2, Oficina 163PTM/Parque Científico de Madrid28760 Tres CantosMadrid, SpainPhone: (+34) 91 806 4442

TechBA Michigan440 Burroughs StreetDetroit, MI 48202, U.S.A.Phone: (+313) 483 0388

TechBA Montreal550, Sherbrooke St. WestSuite 200 Montreal,Quebec H3A 1B9, CanadaPhone: (+514) 987 9550

TechBA SeattleCorporate Plaza 600 108th Ave NE, Suite 314Bellevue, WA. 98004, U.S.A.Phone: (+425) 732 32 50

TechBA Silicon Valley1737 N First Street Suite 110San José, CA 95112, U.S.A.Phone: (+408) 239 4620

TechBA VancouverDiscovery Parks150-887 Great Northern Way Vancouver, BC. Canada, V5T 4T5Phone: (+604) 637 5200

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The George E. Brown United States-Mexico Foundation for ScienceStatement of Activities for the Year End as of December 31, 2010 & 2011(U.S. Dollars)

2010 2011

Health, Environment and Energy 509,026 1,367,828

Innovation Driven Economic Development 8,370,507 9,296,921

Human Resources Development in Science and Technology 45,701 287,016

Offices Abroad 179,005 187,688

Subtotal 9,106,249 11,141,465

Operating Expenses 759,147 829,985

TOTAL 9,865,396 11,971,450

Financial information

fumec biennial activities report 2010-2011

Documents

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