How important is the Yachay City of Knowledge as part of Ecuador’s transformation into a country of more social and economic growth.

Yachay is an important part of Ecuador’s transformation because it is a Technology Park that will develop a new class of knowledge-intensive businesses and entrepreneurs. Its university is already a leader in terms of educational excellence, connectivity, and research; research that can be applied directly in solving the problems of our state and society. Instead of importing this knowledge, like was done before, Yachay’s own students and businesses will have the capacity to enter the productive and social sectors. Moreover, Yachay demonstrates to society that, though we may not quality for the World Cup, we can generate our own technology; produce human talent of the highest order; conduct research to promote good living conditions; and develop a culture of innovation. In 2017, Yachay will move onto its next phase, which is to build its Technology and  Industrial Parks.

Where did the idea of Yachay come from and how was the project inspired?

It is the conclusion of a political project that was born when I served in the governmental department of Planning and Development. As it came to fruition, more than 400 professionals and working groups (in urban planning, engineering, education, and research) were participating. Yachay is a collective dream of all of these people, who were fortunate enough to take advantage of a historical moment for Ecuador and get this project moving forward.

How does Yachay factor in to the concept of “buen vivir” or good living, as promoted by President Rafael Correa?

 We used the first planned city in Latin America, Brasilia, Brazil, as a model for bureaucratic and technological development towards achieving the concept of good living. In order to achieve this concept, people must be immersed in an innovative ecosystem; it must be a natural and urban environment that invites you to fulfill your self-realization in both life and work, not for money but for the satisfaction of doing so. As well as this, the city should offer benefits not only for its inhabitants, but for the rest of the population. At the end of the day, this will be achieved by our people meeting their own needs; they’ll develop technologies and communications instead of importing them and generate high added-value exports, all while remaining conscious of environmental issues. Yachay will exist as a model of efficiency between people and nature, a key factor in achieving good living.

How does the participation of local companies in this project invite participation from international companies?

This type of project needs a strong commitment from both Ecuadorian businessmen as well as outside entrepreneurs and investors who can contribute to its development. Today, we have 37 member companies from different countries, all based in the scope of technology. These companies are investing in themselves and it is our job at Yachay to manage the ecosystem that sets them up for success. To these companies, we provide human talent, as well as connections with domestic and foreign universities to access people with the right skill set for the employer’s needs. We also provide institutional capacity to simplify procedures in the realm of taxes and tariffs, as well as facilitate access to public investment programs. All of this lowers operating costs, eliminates redundancy, and improves productivity and competitiveness. What we offer to entrepreneurs and investors is the assurance that their money is well spent and that their expectations will be met.

How do attract international partners to Ecuador?

We make a great effort to appeal to foreign investors. We are part of the International Association of Science Parks (IASP), where the practice of attracting investment is a common tactic. Being part of a prestigious network like IASP conveys to potential partners a sense of safety and security. We can back this up by also showing them the successful results and profits our 37 international entrepreneurs are currently achieving. 

How does Yachay compare to similar cities of knowledge and technology you have seen?

We have visited more than 40 areas of innovation and scientific-technology around the world, and I can say Yachay is only in its infancy. We are creating a place that is unprecedented in Latin America, a place focused mostly on basic and applied research. In order to gain expertise, we have established a technological pairing with the Research Triangle Park of North Carolina, one of the largest research parks in the world. What we are trying to create with Yachay is a collaborative space where all participants are invited to work collectively, network with each other, and formulate best practices.

Yachay’s foundation was secured from the moment we got academic support from Caltech and Harvard. We also have partnerships with institutions and influential academics in Europe, who all wanted to experience Yachay for themselves. These pioneers have shown that Yachay can be attractive for investors and entrepreneurs, due to the strides we’ve made in such a short amount of time. For example, we’ve been working to create a series of processes that can be freely transferred to other Technology Parks worldwide. Instead of proprietary technologies, we strive toward open technologies that solve the problems of the world, make people well, and do good to nature. Yachay creates technology oriented for good living.

What message of trust do you offer to the world to come and invest in Ecuador?

We say to them, by investing in us they invest in their dreams. Money is important, but the most important thing for us is creating opportunities for collaboration and knowledge-sharing. We want to attract wills that will tell the world, “Here is my contribution to this project.” We can do a lot if we make global contributions, not only for corporate social responsibility, but because it is what’s best for us as individuals. Both citizens and entrepreneurs can benefit from this project. To invest in Yachay is to believe in a dream of global collaboration, free knowledge, and generating positive solutions to world problems.