On August 25 a policy initiative brought together policymakers, academics, and international experts in Lima (Peru) to rethink public policies in STI. It provided an opportunity to consider how this work can both strengthen international cooperation while contributing to Peru’s sustainable development.
The workshop, ‘Synergies for the Future of Science, Technology, and Innovation in Peru,’ was co-organised by the Wyss Academy for Nature, the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre at the University of Piura (UDEP) and Coincide, a Peruvian non-profit organisation which supports national development through expertise, strategy, and training.
In her welcome remarks, María Pía Chirinos, Vice-Rector of UDEP’s Campus Lima, highlighted the opportunity for Peru to not only respond to national challenges but also to contribute to the regional and Latin American and Caribbean STI agenda.
Dr Matías Ramírez, TIPC’s co-director and Director of TIPC’s Latin American hub, outlined how digital technologies and the green transition must be combined to enable structural shifts in economic and social development. He stressed that STI policy must be reframed to deliver not only technological change but also social transformation, urging greater clarity and coherence in policy design. This requires long-term vision and experimentation, he noted, as well as the promotion of demonstrator projects and learning which can be scaled.
In his address, former Peruvian President, Francisco Sagasti called for STI policies which link more directly to citizen security and cybersecurity while stressing the need for international collaboration to meet these challenges.
Senior representatives from the Wyss Academy for Nature, UDEP, Coincide and Peru’s National Agency for STI were in agreement on the importance of multi-actor engagement in driving forward a transformative agenda.
The engagement of Peruvian institutions with TIPC’s Latin American and Caribbean hub represents a concrete step towards building the systemic capabilities needed to steer science, technology, and innovation in the region toward inclusive and sustainable futures.
