Aryanne QuintalCompetitiveness, Innovation and Technology SectionDepartment of Economic DevelopmentOrganization of American States

GEDC-LATAMCartagena de Indias, Colombia, October 3-4, 2016

Innovation, Competitiveness and Education in Engineering

Organization of American States

The OAS is an inter-governmental political organization World’s oldest regional organization

(created in 1889) 34 Member States Aims to foster political dialogue;

strengthen cooperation; address issues facing the region and the world. 4 pillars:

1. Democracy2. Human Rights3. Integral Development Competitiveness, Innovation and Technology

4. Multidimensional Security

Political dialogue

VII SUMMITPanama City, Panama

2015

Summit of the AmericasEvery 2-3 years

Adoption of mandates at Hemispheric level

Every 2-3 years

Follow-up to the Summit of the Americas in a specific area

Every yearFollow-up to the Ministerial Meetings Turn mandates into concrete actions with the help of the SEDI

Mandates and political priorities

Ministerial Meetings

Inter-American Committees

Capacity to convene Ability to identify priorities at a regional level Turn mandates into concrete actions and projects

Resources:

Regular fund Specific funds Scholarships programs Associated foundations: Foundation for the Americas; Young Americas Business Trust;

Pan-American Foundation for Development OAS National Offices in the Member States Permanent observers Other international organizations: World Bank, UNESCO, OECD, PAHO, IDB, etc. Private sector Non-profit institutions (civil society associations; networks; academia)

OAS value added

1967: Declaration of Presidents in Punta del Este, Uruguay Presidents recognized for the first time, at a Hemispheric level, the importance of STEI for the region’s economic and social development.

1968: Creation of the OAS Department of Science and Technology

2013: OAS merges Science and Technology with areas of Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Supported four Inter-American Meetings of Ministers and High-Level Authorities of Science and Technology:

1. Peru, 20042. Mexico, 20083. Panama, 20114. Guatemala, 2015 Next Ministerial in Bogota, Colombia, November 2017

OAS Role in Science, Technology, Engineering and Innovation

From the top 100 engineering universities in the world, 95% are in developed countries with a high percentage in Japan, Singapore and China. University of Sao Paulo, Brazil; la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; la UNAM, Mexico and the Universidad de los Andes, Colombia ranked between positions 150-200. (QS World University Ranking 2015/2016)

90% of the top 50 Hispanic Engineers in LAC have studied abroad. (The Hispanic)

There is a mismatch between the skills of graduates and what companies need.

There is a need for regional accreditation programs valid beyond national borders: 50% of the programs in the regions of Central and South America do not have international accreditation. (OECD, 2015)

STEI Challenges in the Americas

Investment in Research and Development in LAC vs. OECD, 2013

Investment in R+D

LAC spends on average 0,5% of its GDP in R&D. OECD spends 2,5%.

Constitute 60 to 70% of the poor world-wide.

Experience higher rates of unemployment and earn 30% less income than men.

Have less access to education and limited participation in decision-making process in their communities.

Women account for about a third of all graduates in science, technology, engineering and math in LAC- Argentina: 37%- Brasil: 20%- Colombia: 29%- Uruguay: 32%

Source: UNESCO Regional Office for Science in Latin America and theCaribbean

Women

Theme: Inclusive Innovation: Key to Reducing Inequality and Increasing Productivity in the Region

122 participants from 20 countries

Adoption of the Plan of Action of Guatemala 2016-2020

Reaffirms priorities and relevance of 4 Working Groups established since 2011:1 - Innovation2 - Human Resources Training and Education 3 - National Quality Infrastructure4 - Technological Development

Cross-cutting issues: 1 - Inclusive innovation2 - Women’s participation and leadership3 - Increased collaboration among governments, the private sector, academia and civil

society

Recommendations to the Summit of the Americas regarding universal broadband access in all OAScountries; and increased public and private investments in R&D.

IV S&T MinisterialGuatemala, March 10-11, 2015

Working Groups: Members & Partners

• MEXICO• BARBADOS • COLOMBIA• COSTA RICA• DOMINICAN

REPUBLIC• ECUADOR• EL SALVADOR• GUATEMALA• PARAGUAY• PERU• TRINIDAD AND

TOBAGO• URUGUAY

• OAS-ARTCA• I-CHASS• NCSA• UPB• CIBNOR• RICYT• GOBEE GROUP

• ARGENTINA• BOLIVIA• COLOMBIA• COSTA RICA• DOMINICAN

REPUBLIC• GUATEMALA• MEXICO• NICARAGUA• PARAGUAY • THE BAHAMAS • TRINIDAD AND

TOBAGO

• OAS-ARTCA• I-CHASS• CIBNOR• NCSA• LACCEI• UPADI-API• UPB

• CANADA• PANAMA• COLOMBIA• COSTA RICA• GUATEMALA• MEXICO• PERU• THE BAHAMAS • TRINIDAD AND

TOBAGO• UNITED STATES

• COPANT• INTER-AMERICAN

METROLOGY SYSTEM (SIM)

• IAAC• PTB

• GUATEMALA• ARGENTINA• COLOMBIA• DOMINICAN

REPUBLIC• ECUADOR• EL SALVADOR• HONDURAS• MEXICO• NICARAGUA• TRINIDAD AND

TOBAGO

• OAS-ARTCA• CIBNOR• I-CHASS• NCSA• PIPRA• UNIVERSITY OF

SASKATCHEWAN

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• WORKING GROUP 1: Innovation- Identifying a common set of Innovation Indicators in Collaboration with the

Ibero-American Network of Science and Technology Indicators (RICYT).- Capacity-building on how to measure innovation during RICYT’s next

Technical Committee meeting in Brazil in October 2015.

• WORKING GROUP 2: Human Resources Training and Education- Launching of a Mobility Program for

Students in Engineeering (FINAM): Pilot project underway.

- 3 rounds of OAS-CONACYT-AMEXCID Scholarships for students who wish to pursue graduate studies in STEMin Mexico.

- Strenghtening Engineering for the Americas (EFTA).

Working Groups: Projects

Association aiming to build capacities in engineering to

improve competitiveness at the Hemispheric level

Engineering for the Americas (EFTA)

EftA is an OAS initiative resulting from the 1st Ministerial Meeting of Science and Technology held in Lima, Peru in 2004.

Objectives:1. Promote quality education in engineering through faculty and curricular

development;2. Strengthen the mobility of engineering services by promoting the compliance

of technical services with international standards (accreditation);3. Promote cooperation between academia and the productive sector, including

co-op programs, internships, skills training, alliances, etc.

Results:- 10 editions of the Summit Engineering for the Americas- Capacity Building; Accreditation; Sharing of Experiences; Inclusiveness- Stimulate entrepreneurship; creative thinking and internships with industry- Signing of a MOU: OAS named LACCEI Center of Excellence of EFTA

EFTA

• WORKING GROUP 3: National Quality Infrastructure - Creation of the Quality Infrastructure Council of the Americas (QICA), which

aims to increasing awareness on the importance of NQI for competitiveness and as a driver of national prosperity.

- Signing of MOU with the Inter-American Metrology System (SIM) in 2015.

• WORKING GROUP 4: Technological Development- Creation of a Regional Network of Technology Transfer Offices

(Red de Redes).- Provided 3 trainings in technology

transfer and commercialization,in collaboration with University of California in Davis and CIBNOR Mexico.

Working Groups: Projects (cont’d)

• The main political platform for Competitiveness in the region is the Inter-American Competitiveness Network (RIAC) which is comprised of Ministries of Economy, Trade and S&T, as well as the Chambers of Commerce of the 34 OAS Member States.

• The most important event for political dialogue of the RIAC is the Americas Competitiveness Forum (ACF). The 2015 meeting in Guatemala convened 28 countries. In total, 1,035 participants from 41 countries participated in the IX ACF.

• Next ACF to be held in Mexico, October 2017, under the theme of structural reforms.

Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship

1. Publication of the 2015-2016 Signs of Competitiveness Report, a regional reference for policy makers, with over 250 experiences and offers of cooperation from countries and institutions of the RIAC.

2. Meetings of the Group of Experts on Sub-national Competitiveness (GTECS), focused on improving economic growth at the level of cities and provinces.- Participants: 9 OAS countries, CAF, CEPAL, ONUDI, SIECA, ORKESTRA- San Sebastian, Basque Country, Spain, June 2016- Panama City, Panama, July 2017

3. Creation of the Task Force on Gender and Competitiveness to integrate themes related to women’s economic empowerment into the RIAC agenda.- Participants: SIECA, OAS, CIM, IDB, World Bank, UNWomen, USAID, WE Americas- Ideas! Yearly publication on Top 100 Women Entrepreneurs of the Americas

Mentorship program between business women and young women with start-upsSession on Women Entrepreneurs as part of the X ACF in Mexico

RIAC Work Plan 2016-2018

4. Two editions per year of the Americas Competitiveness Exchange (ACE) on Innovation and Entrepreneuship: a one week tour of 50+ leaders of the Americas who gather to visit innovation hubs, share experiences and explore collaboration opportunities to enhance strategic investments and trade in the region.- Fifth Edition, Arizona and California, United States, April 2015

- Sixth Edition, Province of Ontario, Canada, September 25 to October 1, 2016

http://www.riacevents.org/ace/canada2016/video.html

RIAC Work Plan 2016-2018

Conclusions

Science, Technology, Engineering and Innovation

Next Meeting of Ministers of Science and Technology: November 2017 in Colombia Next round of videoconferences of the Working Groups: April 2016 Call for appliations for OAS-CONACYT-AMEXCID Scholarship Program is open Call for applications for the Licensing Academy on Technology Transfer and Commercialization is open until April 25.

Our region’s future competitiveness relies on having a workforce highly skilled in science, technology, engineering and math. If we want to increase productivity, boost economic growth and fight poverty, governments must make greater investments in education in these fields of study, as well as in R&D.

We need to strengthen existing alliances with global competencies of accreditation to improve the engineering curricula in LAC universities and create a workforce better adapted to the needs of the industry.

We need to increase the number of women graduate in STEM. This can be achieved through public policies, awareness campaigns and university quotas, but also by introducing girls to scientific fields at an early age.

There is an intrinsic link between science, technology, engineering and math and fostering creative, entrepreneurial minds. Our youth is increasingly mobile, connected and innovative. Countries need to provide them with the tools they need to help them reach their full potential. This includes universal access to Internet; creative spaces such as FabLabs, business inclubators and SBDCs, as well as seed funding and venture capital.

THANK YOU

www.oas.org

Aryanne QuintalCompetitiveness, Innovation and Technology SectionDepartment of Economic DevelopmentOrganization of American States