INTEC Rector suggests promoting applied research models in universities to innovate
Within the framework of the Board of Directors of CINDA, Julio Sánchez Maríñez affirmed that the linear model of research “prevents us from seeing other opportunities”
SANTO DOMINGO. - Promoting a model of applied and interactive research in universities is key to innovation, as expressed by Julio Sanchez Martinez, rector of the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC), by participating in the panel “From the University to the Development of Applied Research”, within the framework of the Board of Directors of Rectors of the Interuniversity Development Center (CINDA).
In his presentation during the meeting, which brought together In a meeting with more than 30 representatives of universities in the Ibero-American region, the rector of INTEC considered that the linear research model prevents the identification of other opportunities. “If we adopt a research perspective inspired by use, whether basic or applied, it will allow us to see the research circuit in a different way,” he said.
During his presentation, in which he was accompanied by his counterparts Angels Fitó from the Open University of Catalonia (UOC), Carlos Saavedra from the University of Concepción and Odile Camilo from the Ibero-American University (UNIBE), Sánchez Maríñez reflected on the original concept of the university and its historical context, which has evolved towards a fourth generation in which research seeks to directly impact the socioeconomic environment through collaboration with industry and other key players.
“Universities are sometimes arrogant or complacent, and we have to flirt with companies. But we have to open the doors and accommodate through a more agile organizational structure, changing the ideology of how science is done,” he said.
As an example, the rector described how INTEC strengthens ties with Eaton Corporation, an energy management company, a neighbor of the institution, which has developed research and development projects in conjunction with the university.
He also highlighted the INTEC Learning Factory model, with which in less than a year and a half 20 projects have been worked on, with 6 professors, 78 students from 11 different academic programs or courses, in collaboration with 12 sponsoring companies, “And there are no more, because some have repeated, which makes us happy.”
Measuring socioeconomic impact above international ranking parameters
Dr. Sánchez Maríñez called on the academic community to transform the Dominican higher education system into one that not only responds to international rankings, but also contributes to the country's development.
“Sometimes what we can measure replaces what we should measure. It is very easy to go to Scopus, go to the web and classify ourselves by publications. It is very difficult to do it by social impact, because that database does not exist,” he shared.
He added that “if we intend to tackle innovation and development problems created by the new Tesla or the new SpaceX, let us consider whether this is connected to our economy, whether it is about improving processes and products, even packaging, in order to be able to export better. What would be our measure in proportion to the socioeconomic impact, and not based on a bibliometric measure?” he assessed.
He also addressed the challenges in terms of investment in research and development (R&D) in the region, noting that the Dominican Republic currently invests 0.04% of GDP in this area. "It is our Achilles heel (…). To increase productivity and competitiveness, we need more investment in human capital, in the areas of innovation, research and development,” said the rector.
CINDA Board of Directors
For the first time, the country is hosting the 57th Board of Directors of CINDA, where the organization's management is evaluated and strategic lines of work are established among its members. This year, academic representatives from universities in Uruguay, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico and Spain came to the country.
The Dominican member universities that participated in this meeting were, in addition to INTEC, the Pontifical Catholic University, Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), the host university of the event, the Ibero-American University (UNIBE), and the Pedro Henríquez Ureña National University (UNPHU). All the academies in the country were represented by their rectors, Reverend Father Doctor Secilio Espinal, Doctor Odile Camilo Vincent, and architect Miguel Fiallo Calderón, respectively.