MEXICO CITY—The official opening here last month of the Center for Electronics and Information Technology (CETEI) underscores Mexico’s efforts to strengthen ties between academic and industrial R&D sectors.
The new center was created to support the development of the country’s fast-growing electronics industry by mediating technological supply and demand. The government is encouraging such university-industry cooperation in effort to offset spending cuts it has in academic research (see THE SCIENTIST, July 27, p. 3).
“Traditionally in Mexico we have left the definition and development of technology in the hands of academic institutions,” noted CETEI’s director, José Warman. “They in turn have tried to sell their solutions or results to the business community. But that hasn’t gotten us very far.”
The new center plans to invert that process. It expects a company to first define its technological problems or needs; then CETEI will arrange for a ccoperative effort by company and ...
