INTEC and Fundemar coordinate actions to promote blue biotechnology, marine research and new academic offerings
At a meeting held at the university, the entities agreed to develop microcredentials, concentrations, and short courses.
SANTO DOMINGO. The Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC) and the Dominican Foundation for Marine Studies (Fundemar) advanced an agenda of academic and scientific cooperation, during a meeting held at the university, with the purpose of strengthening marine research and expanding specialized training in blue biotechnology.
The event brought together teachers, researchers and representatives from both institutions, who defined a set of actions aimed at promoting new academic opportunities, developing capacities and consolidating spaces for applied research in marine sciences.
Relaunch of the Blue Biotechnology Club
During the meeting, it was agreed to relaunch the Blue Biotechnology Club, an initiative that seeks to integrate students from different areas in activities focused on marine conservation, biotechnological innovation, and environmental monitoring.
“We want more students to experience marine science firsthand and find in it a real space to research, create, and contribute solutions to the country,” she stated. María Villalpando, Research and Development Manager at Fundemar.
Microcredentials, concentrations, and continuing education
INTEC and Fundemar also established guidelines for the design of micro-certifications, academic concentrations, and continuing education programs aimed at training professionals with skills in molecular techniques, aquatic crop management, and biodiversity analysis.
“This alliance opens doors for our students to access specialized training that is normally only available in international research centers,” said Lolymar Romero, coordinator of the Biotechnology degree program at INTEC.
Likewise, work will be done on elective subjects for the degrees in Biotechnology and Biochemistry, and on lines of research linked to population genetics, marine diseases, cryopreservation, probiotics and cultivation of aquatic organisms.
Postgraduate diploma programs and research areas
Fundemar will collaborate with the strengthening of INTEC's Continuing Education offering through diplomas in genotyping, bioinformatics, ecotoxicology, aquaculture, probiotics and experimental ecology.
The institution will also contribute to the consolidation of research lines of the Master's Degree in Environmental Sciences and Renewable Energy, through applied projects in conservation, genetics, primary productivity and population studies.
“Marine science needs bridges between academic knowledge and real environmental problems; this collaboration allows us to build them,” Romero noted.