One of the greatest contributions of our Universities to the development of the region is their scientific production, technological development and innovation. Through them they provide answers to many of the social, economic and environmental challenges that society faces. The pandemic caused by COVID-19 was an occasion to reinforce and make visible the role of our universities, called to provide an essential response from their research, technological and innovation agenda and to provide continuity to the educational process ex aequo.
In this sense, it is important to analyze and reflect on what those responses were, how the Universities organized themselves to redirect their research programs and what existing or new barriers will arise in the crisis, as well as what new opportunities were developed in recent months that can guarantee the growth of the region's scientific systems, strengthening the capacity of universities in scientific and technological production.
This meeting will revolve around the presentation of the document “Research and link with society in universities in Latin America” as a contribution to the discussions of the CILAC Forum, prepared by the Ibero-American Observatory of Science, Technology and Society of the OEI, with contributions from the Regional Science Office for Latin America and the Caribbean of UNESCO and the results of a survey carried out by the International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (IESALC-UNESCO).
The aforementioned report invites the rectors and high authorities of Science, Technology and innovation in Latin America to reflect on the situation of our Universities in terms of Research and Development. In particular, in view of the impacts and transformations underway, as well as to publicize the current government scientific policy agendas that are being developed in different countries. At the same time, it is a contribution to making a better forecast about the response of Latin American science to the pandemic, and its subsequent development.
This second virtual forum of rectors on Universities, science, technology and innovation will be organized under the joint leadership of CILAC's regional partners (UNESCO, AUGM, SEGIB, OEI and IDB) and the UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (IESALC). The event will take place on December 10, 2020.
It should be noted that this second virtual forum of rectors is articulated with the first virtual forum on the challenges and opportunities of higher education in times of COVID-19 that took place on May 28 of this year, and with the #CienciaEnMovimiento cycle of the CILAC Forum.