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InnovationYear 2 Number 14 | June 4, 2007A way of lifeBy Antonio Zárate
They say that the first step is always the most difficult one - and we have already taken it. With the inauguration of the Monterrey Industrial Engineering and Development Center (Cidesi) began the operational phase of the Research and Technological Innovation Park (PIIT), one of the key strategies of the Monterrey, International City of Knowledge Program. The PIIT is not the City of Knowledge, but is the corner stone to foster networking between universities, businesses and research centers. It is an encounter area conceptualized and designed to experience cross pollination as a day-to-day activity and not as an occasional experience. By bringing together the talent of researchers, technologists, academicians, entrepreneurs, and graduate students, the park will be a source of innovations in the areas of biotechnology, nanotechnology, mechatronics, Information and communications technology (ICT), and health. We will carry out the practice of the formula R+D+I (Research + Development + Innovation), always maintaining a close relationship with the productive sector, since the objective is to promote the transfer of technology to participating companies and then on to the market. Various technology-based international companies are interested in being part of the PIIT. Most of them are of the automotive, electronics, semiconductors, and software sectors, which will cause an increase of high-value job offers, supported by "mindfacturing", which is the essence of a city of knowledge. It is also highly significant that academic and scientific institutions, such as the UANL, Monterrey Tech, UDEM, Conacyt, Cinvestav (IPN), and the Water Institute of Nuevo Leon, are participating in the PIIT's first stage. The business sector will be present through the Monterrey IT Cluster, which integrates 42 software companies, and IDZ, a company specialized in radio frequency ID (RFID) applications. In other words, the PIIT is a clear example of the triple helix, an alliance that supports the Monterrey, International City of Knowledge Program.
Leading-edge TechnologyLocally made and customizedThe first tenant at the Research and Technological Innovation Park (PIIT) arrived with very good company. We are talking about the Monterrey Industrial Engineering and Development Center (Cidesi) that will work in collaboration with the Research Center of the School of Engineering of the University of Texas A&M.
"The first researchers from Texas will arrive by the end of this month to work on Nuevo Leon projects. This agreement will allow us to send local engineers to the Texas A&M laboratories," explained Felipe Rubio-Castillo, General Director of Cidesi, a center that operates in the city of Queretaro since 1984. This institution will also receive support from the Ensenada Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education (CICESE), which will send six doctors specialized in industrial applications of laser technology. Cidesi Monterrey, inaugurated on May 8, is the first research center of the National Council of Science and Technology (Conacyt) operating in Nuevo Leon. It will serve the transformation industry in general, but will concentrate a large part of its operations on the automotive, home appliances, steel, energy, and food sectors, which are the most developed in the state.  "We generate technology and machines that do not exist in the market. By doing this, we avoid the duplication of capacities," he explained. In the area of applied electronics, this center develops specialized technology for various fields; health being one of them. The center has produced prototypes of electroencephalographs in Queretaro, and several versions have already been approved. Cidesi Monterrey will carry out similar projects with the objective of transferring technology to Mexican companies that may be able to produce the equipment the national market requires. "The idea is to design equipment based on the needs and characteristics of our society," stated Rubio-Castillo. With regards to advanced manufacturing, Cidesi seeks to complement the design capacity of Nuevo Leon companies and contribute to the development of optimum conditions for their production processes. Rubio-Castillo mentioned that the technological vocation of Cidesi Monterrey was defined based on the institutional vision and the requirements of the industry, the academia, and research centers. "We offer our 23 years of experience in the development of technology and prototypes to the other research centers, and I think this will strengthen the PIIT as a macrocomplex," he added. Furthermore, the doors are open for graduate engineering students from local universities, since they can do their practice with leading-edge technology equipment. "During this stage, the first of three, a small group from Queretaro will come to transmit the center's culture, philosophy and work methodology, but most of the engineers and technologists will be local," explained Rubio-Castillo. For the remainder of 2007, the team will consist of 25 specialists, including the researchers from Texas A&M and from CICESE. "Once the center operates at 100 percent capacity, it will have 250 individuals, including doctors, engineers, and technologists. We think this will occur in six or seven years," he added.
PITT: 95% of progressThe infrastructure of the first stage of the Research and Technological Innovation Park (PIIT) is 95 percent completed. "We are working on a 30-hectare area of land, just as it was specified before launching the project. We will cover the 40 remaining hectares in the second stage," explained Reynold Gonzalez-Lozano, the PIIT's Director. He added that this type of park needs between 8 and 10 years to mature and operate at its maximum capacity. Regarding the construction of the centers, the two buildings of the first stage of the Industrial Engineering and Development Center (Cidesi) have already been completed. Five more buildings are in the construction stage and the architectural project for three of them has been approved. "We estimate that about 230 people will be working in the PIIT by the end of 2007. The projected number of users for 2008 is 1,500," said Gonzalez-Lozano. THEY EXPORT KNOWLEDGECidesi is carrying out complex projects for the United States, Canada, Spain and some Central and South American countries." "We can not say that we are a center of international quality if we are incapable of selling a project outside of our country," expressed Felipe Rubio-Castillo, Director of Cidesi, an institution that is part of the National Council of Science and Technology (Conacyt). Some of its researchers are currently participating in the construction and installation of cryogenic optics for the Great Telescope of the Canary Islands, which is one of the most important telescopes of its type in the world. This project is being developed in Spain as a joint venture together with the UNAM's Institute of Astronomy." "We were also hired for the installation of a metrology laboratory in Peru, and we cooperate with Texas A&M University in a teleguided submarine project," said Rubio -Castillo. He added that this center is a reliable technology supplier for PEMEX, Bombardier, and Texas Instruments' design house.
FUTURE EVENTSJUNE 4-15 JUNE 7-8 JULY 2-4 July 26-27 [+] Download Innovation PDF (in spanish)  |
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© Copyright Nuevo Leon State Government. The logo and the name “Monterrey, International City of Knowledge” are registered trademarks with the Mexican Institute of Intellectual Property. | ||||||||
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