The problematic oil industry has exposed Ecuador's need to develop its other industries -- agriculture, seafood production, tourism and its Silicon Valley component.
Silicon Valley? In Ecuador? What??
Perhaps you haven't heard about the Yachay Project: City of Knowledge -- which El Presidente hopes will some day be the crowning accomplishment of his administration. Inspired by California's Silicon Valley and North Carolina's Research Triangle, it could be Ecuador's most ambitious economic-development project to date.
It is a work in progress -- a campus devoted to technology and learning -- about two hours from Quito, 15 minutes from Ibarra and just outside the sleepy little agricultural town of Urcuqui (pronounced ur-KOOKY).
Here is the vision as described at the Q Wealth Report website, a paid site advising international retirees on wealth preservation and investment:
"The Yachay project is intended to create an entire city, dedicated to the long-term exploration of knowledge and technology, on a global scale.
"The vision is of an integrated city, which blends the best education environment, within a high-tech campus setting, along with the economic means of production to foster the development, implementation and exportation of the high-tech initiatives produced at Yachay. A symbiotic techno-sphere, if you will, aimed at educating, cultivating and manufacturing products for the technology era.
"It is a well-planned and well-conceived initiative....Expertise in many fields is required....The obvious sectors of education professionals and high-tech specialists are high on the list of required skill sets at Yachay." (qwealthreport.com)
For more information, google:
Yachay city of knowledge urcuqui ecuador
cccmedia in Quito
The Vision For Ecuador's Silicon Valley
2017 update:
The Yachay project, Ecuador's would-be Silicon Valley, is struggling.
Six scientists in leadership positions at the technical university have recently been fired .. and the school is doing millions of dollars in budget cuts.
The new rector -- the man in charge of the university -- is a controversial figure who is still on the payroll at one or more facilities outside of Ecuador.
There is a detailed write-up at www.cuencahighlife.com .. currently at its welcome page.
Source: Cuenca Highlife
My brother-in-law who has a degree, or phd I guess in computer science had high hopes for this project, but he said that it was basically nothing more than a good marketing scheme, and that it will never happen. Looking back on it he thinks there was never any real chance of it succeeding.
Yachay was presented as a "research" university.
It lacks funding to continue as a pure research facility and needs to adjust to becoming an academic university as well to better serve the needs of the Ecuadorian community.
Despite the articles, or I should clarify, one article translated and misquoted which included some disgruntled former research professors who were fired and the new rector who has cleaned house, this is just a shake up of a very brand new institution of higher learning.
It mimics the projectory of the growth of modern universities in such countries as Australia. Give it time to adjust under the new country administration and its new more reasonable mixed research & academic purpose.
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