Learning Factory receives recognition for Academic Innovation from Proindustria
During the activity, two INTEC graduates' ventures were also recognized: Four Union, winners in the “Excellence in Innovation” category, and the company Tracemarck Technologies, for “Industrial Manufacturing Innovation.”
SANTO DOMINGO.- The Center for Industrial Development and Competitiveness (Proindustria) delivered the Recognition for Educational Innovation to the project LearningFactory of the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC), a pioneering initiative in the country through which students propose solutions to real problems of the sponsoring companies.
Likewise, during the activity two projects by university graduates were recognized, both for the second consecutive year.Four Union”deserved the recognition of Excellence in Innovation as a microenterprise for its product Our Flavour, based on the transformation of fruits and vegetables into long-life products through freeze-dry technology; the company was incubated at the INTEC Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center and is made up of José Fernández, Sarah Jiménez and Hiram Toirac.
Additionally, Tracemark Technologies, a company made up of Christopher Román and Adrián Martínez, was recognized by Proindustria in the Industrial Manufacturing Innovation category.
LearningFactory It is a learning experience in which students take companies as study models and develop initiatives as proposals for improvement in real situations, through the implementation of new technologies, multidisciplinary work, transfer of skills and the promotion of research and innovation at the business level.
Luis Toirac, a professor at INTEC who leads the project, thanked the university for the award and explained to those present what Learning Factory is all about. “At INTEC we have been cultivating innovation in educational programs for over 50 years with diverse methodologies such as this program,” he said. Rector Julio Sanchez Maríñez received the award on behalf of the university.
The Academic Innovation category recognized innovations that included the creation of new methods, technologies or technological processes that add value or facilitate the understanding or management of existing problems in any area of the manufacturing industry.
The ceremony, headed by the general director of ProIndustria, Rafael Cruz Rodríguez, aims to recognize and promote growth and competitiveness in the Dominican industrial sector, recognizing the talent, innovation and creativity that drive the country's economic development.
"At Proindustria, we will continue to work hard to create an environment that encourages the emergence of new ideas, stimulates collaboration between the various actors in the sector and promotes the adoption of technologies, support and innovative processes," said Cruz Rodríguez.
Other recognized companies
Of the 60 companies from all over the country that applied for the award, 15 industries and four academic institutions were recognized. To select the winners, an evaluation committee was formed that spent several days evaluating the quality of each one and rated them according to the criteria of each category, submitting its final report on July 30.
In the "Process Innovation" category, Cemex, CEPSA, Bepensa, Tracemark Technologies and Peces Dominicanos (PEZDO) were recognized. Meanwhile, Diesco, Peñantial Industrial, Tristan Technology Maker and SOS Carbón won the award in the "Product Innovation" category.
"Innovation in Marketing" was awarded to the following companies: Cervecería Nacional Dominicana, La Aurora, Ly Company Caribe and Inversiones Basilia del Caribe. It should be noted that, in addition to winning in their respective categories, the companies Diesco and Bepensa were recognized as industries led by women, highlighting their good gender policies.
Rosario Aróstegui, Vice-Rector for Research and Engagement, and Cayetano Rodríguez, Dean of the Engineering Department, attended the ceremony on behalf of INTEC.