MICM authorities

INTEC authorities and teachers

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Friends all:

We are summoned this afternoon by a recognition that the INTEC Academic Council, the highest academic management body of our university, grants to the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs led by its minister, Víctor -Ito- Bisono Haza.

I must take care of elegance when saying that this is something not very common in INTEC.

Recently the denial of false news made me think about how parsimonious - that is, sober, temperate and moderate - INTEC is in its recognitions of this type. The death of the outstanding linguist, philosopher and activist Noam Chomsky, professor emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was reported, and if we had not been cautious, we would have issued our mournful note, because Chomsky is one of only four honorary doctorates that the INTEC, less than one per decade. The others have been the Dominican scientist Erich Kunhardt, doctor in Electro-Physics, who registered some 14 patents in the United States and served as professor of applied physics and advisor to the rector at the Polytechnic Institute of the New York University (NYU), to Paul Krugman, professor of economics at Princeton University and Nobel Prize winner in Economics, and Dr. Eduardo Latorre, founder and rector of INTEC, former chancellor of the Republic and solid and prominent intellectual in the social and political sciences. This is INTEC, this is how we are in INTEC.

And gravity is irresistible. It could be said that, from Newton to Einstein, it has constituted the central variable of the physical sciences. In the words of John Wheeler, the theoretical physicist who graduated from Johns Hopkins University, one of the most illustrious representatives of the theory of general relativity: “Matter tells space how to bend; and space tells matter how it has to move", with which he tried to explain in a simpler way the relativistic principle that the presence of objects in space-time gives rise to a bidirectional relationship, with which the functioning The universe is a matter of relationships between bodies and the spaces (space-time, it should be said) that are created and modified as a result.

And here I move, fortunately, to the closest terrain of our most mundane realities. That of the relationships that are established and, I must add, must be established, between government, companies and universities in what Etzkowitz and Leydesdorff called the “triple helix” that drives innovation and development.

And it is within the framework of triple helix relations that the INTEC object has entered into a bidirectional relationship with the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs, its minister and the team of vice ministers that accompanies him, but supported by the same, with the fabric Dominican business in its broadest sense: exporters, highlighting among them free zone companies, those oriented to the local market, medium, small and micro-enterprises, and even those that are still prospects for possible incursion into the country through of foreign direct investment.

And this adoption of the triple helix approach has not been common in the country either, although it has already been common in the present version of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs, as highlighted by our Academic Council in the resolution that supports this very deserved, well-earned recognition with which we are honored today by granting it.

It has been most common in Sweden, one of the most innovative countries in the world. Magnus Ahlström, Global Head of Innovation at Saab, puts it this way: “Sweden has a culture of cooperation, transparency and flat, rather than hierarchical, organisations. This makes it easier for the country to be innovative. We solve problems together.” The Triple Helix approach has featured prominently in Saab's product developments. Gripen, the light multipurpose fighter aircraft, the A26 submarine and GlobalEye, the aeronautical warning and control system, have been examples of complex projects that required different competencies and the participation of several partners, and would not have been possible without the contributions of academia and government in the form of research and strategic direction. And in these programs, in addition to the government and Saab, the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Chalmers University of Technology and Linköping University have participated prominently.

The triple helix approach has also been common in South Korea. In 1960, the Dominican Republic and South Korea were very even if we based it on GDP per capita by purchasing power parity. In fact, the Dominican Republic's GDP per capita in the 1960s was slightly higher than that of South Korea. Today, according to the World Bank, the per capita of South Korea by purchasing power parity multiplies several times that of our country and the gap tends to continue growing significantly compared to that Asian country, which has positioned itself as one of the first 15 economies of the world. 

In South Korea, the triple helix approach is verified through a dynamic ecosystem where collaboration between universities, industry and government is proactively promoted, the latter to boost innovation and economic development of the country. Technology parks and innovation clusters are developed where companies, universities and research institutions physically coexist, which facilitates the transfer of technology and knowledge between sectors. Joint research between universities and industries is encouraged, especially in strategic areas such as technology, biotechnology and artificial intelligence. Collaborative projects receive financial and logistical support from the government and other entities. This includes tax incentives, subsidies for joint research, and financial support programs for startups and technology companies. In South Korea, the Seoul National University (SNU) stands out, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) y Pohang University of Science and Technology (Postech), all occupying very privileged places in international ranking systems.

In Singapore, the nation-state of only 734,3 km² and 5 and a half million inhabitants, the triple helix approach is also common. Companies contribute to establishing needs and/or areas for improvement and in this way outline technical resources, human and financial necessary; On the other hand, the Government, based on the established programs, locates the most suitable scenario to be able to solve those needs that the business sector faces; The Universities, in turn, execute the support tools. All of the above, under a comprehensive system for decision-making and the implementation of support strategies. The Business Development Centers stand out in combination with Universities such as the National University of Singapore (NUS) -one of the best ranked in the world- and the Singapore Management University (SMU), which support the business sector to develop their skills and best practices throughout their operations in order to make them more competitive in the national and global market. They also serve as unique centers for aspiring entrepreneurs and MSME owners to gain access to a wide range of business consulting products and services.

What has been common in other countries has finally begun to be common in the Dominican Republic with the impetus of the current management of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs, which brings together companies and universities, integrates them into projects or welcomes those that are proposed, generates consensus and adds will. The plane takes off better, flies more powerfully and moves faster with a triple propeller (not to say a triple turbine).

And look, Minister, at INTEC we are like those cars that with a push, like the Plastic Center, we get going and continue advancing and complementing with other initiatives such as the one we have added with the Bioplastics Laboratory and our studies on the subject. biodegradability of plastic in different media.

In that same vein, aligned with the best government and private initiatives, celebrating the National Strategy to Promote the Semiconductor Industry proposed by the President of the Republic and promoted by the MICM, we have signed an MOU with Arizona State University and we are already discussing with them the next steps that we will take together, preparing ourselves from INTEC to proactively support this strategy.

I know I have gone on at length, but I have reached the point where, as the lawyers say, “I rest my case".

I return to the point where I started. INTEC is sober and parsimonious in its formal recognitions - which never excludes that it is grateful and supportive in its relationships and with those related to it. Today, fortunately, out of gravity, if I may say, we recognize the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and MSMEs, its minister, Víctor -Ito- Bisono, and its executive team, with the security and complacency that we do so rightly and with justice, because, as it says in the Bible: for its fruits you will know them, and the fruits are many, juicy and aromatic.

In such a way that we can also say: Thank you Minister Bisonó Haza for allowing us to honor ourselves with this very well-deserved recognition of your vision and management in the Ministry under your charge and thanks to your team of vice ministers for also enrolling in this triple helix approach that is so necessary and so promising for the inclusive, competitive and sustainable development of our country.

Thank you thank you very much!