Center for Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship

With the aim of bringing the issues of commercialization of technology to the business community, the conference “Idea to Product: A Competitive Strategy” by Dr. Stephen Nichols, professor of the Master Program in Commercialization of Technology was held with great success on April 17, 2013. The conference was attended by important representatives of the business community of Nuevo Leon who actively participated in the discussions hosted by Carlos Ross of the CGIE and Reynold Gonzalez of the CVT of Caintra.

Following are some pictures of the event. We hope you enjoy them.

On October 18^th,19^th and 20^th we held our first symposium entitled “Changing Mexico” with the participation of MCCT alumni as well as several guests who contributed with their experience and knowledge to this event.

The symposium began on October 18^th at 3pm with a workshop on the “Innovation Readiness” program which was given by Dr. Donna Kidwell of the IC² Institute. At the end of the session all attendees talked a bit about their experiences and achievements since graduating from the MCCT program. We closed the day with a toast and networking activities.

On October 19^th we had three panels and a forum of Alumni Activities. The panels discussed issues regarding Public Policy, Technology Transfer and Venture Capital. In the Public Policy Panel we had the participation of personalities such as the Senator Juan Carlos Romero Hicks, Dr. Jesus Gonzalez, General Director of CIMAV, Mr. Luis Torreblanca, Director of CIATEC, and Rafael Tejeda, entrepreneur and alumnus. In other panels we had the participation of personalities such as Dr. Eugenio Garcia from the ITESM and Guillermo Gower, alumnus  of MSTC program 1999. At the end of the day we offered a delicious dinner where attendees took the opportunity to network.

Finally, on October 20^th we began with a videoconference with  Dr. Robert Metcalfe, inventor of Ethernet and Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, who spoke on “Doriot Ecology”. We continued with three panels titled: Industrial Liason, Provoking Innovation and Incubation and Acceleration of Technology-Based Firms. In these panels we had the participation of several alumni and personalities such as Dr. Rafael Colas from the UANL, Mr. Guillermo Fernández from FUMEC,  Dr. Liliana Licea from CIMAV and Michael Novak from CEDIM, among others.

As our final activity we discussed the next steps we should take to transform Mexico in a better country through commercialization and technology transfer, agreeing that we should begin by strengthening ties among alumni.

Last September 22, the Center for Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship, in conjunction with the CIMAV and the IC² Institute, of UT Austin, celebrated the conferring of degrees to the 4th cohort of the MCCT program.

The program began with a commencement address by Senator Juan Carlos Romero Hicks, formerly the Director General of CONACYT, and then it was followed with the conferring of the degrees, certificates and awards among which highlighted the Outstanding teacher award to Professor Jeff Martin and the Outstanding student award to Ana Paván. As special guests we had the presence of Mr. Ricardo Viramontes, regional director of CONACYT and Marco Muñoz, Assistant Director of the IC² Institute.

Fourth Generation

Marco Muñoz, Assistant Director of the IC2 Institute, Carlos Ross, Director of CGIE, Senator Juan Carlos Romero Hicks

The Center for Scientific Research of Yucatán (CICY), one of CONACYT’s leading research centers in Mexico, organized a workshop for administrators and researchers in the southeastern region of Mexico. The workshop is operated by our Center for Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship and presented by specialists from the IC² Institute of the University of Texas at Austin. The workshop, given in two three-day sessions over a five-week period, covers the subjects of technology transfer offices, intellectual property, entrepreneurial marketing, commercialization roadmapping, technology funding and business deals and gives the participants the opportunity to apply the IC² Institute’s Innovation Readiness online course to their own potentially marketable technologies.

The 34 directors and staff that participate in the workshop come from research centers such as CICY, CINVESTAV and COMIMSA; universities such as Universidad Anáhuac, Tecnológico de Monterrey and the Autonomous Universities of Yucatán, Tabasco, Campeche and Coahuila; and Technological Institutes and Universities of the region as well as federal institutions such as CONACYT and IMPI.

The Innovation Readiness Series is an online training program on innovation readiness from the Global Commercialization Group at the IC² Institute for innovators, entrepreneurs, engineers and scientists who want to help their ideas get to the market. The IR Series helps users to articulate a technology quickly to potential investors or partners, understand the gaps that need to be filled before they are ready to go into an in-depth market effort and engage in early business development on their technology. The IR Series helps the user writing clear and compelling technology descriptions, articulate benefits, understand the development status, evaluate the intellectual property, assess global competition, gauge market interest, pitch the user’s ideas and make effective presentations.

Yesterday, September 3, 2012, we were visited by several Colombian entrepreneurs who participate in the First Technological Mission in Innovation and Clusters Development in Mexico. The purpose of this visit was show them the PIIT and the work being done in research and technological development with a focus on the creation of clusters.

The visit was coordinated by:
• Dr. Jaime Parada Ávila, General Director of the Institute of Innovation and Technology Transfer
• Dr. Oscar Vazquez Montiel, Director of Innovation, New Business, Scientific and Technological Infrastructure and Networking Research from the Institute of Innovation and Technology Transfer.

• Dr. Martha Leal Gonzalez, Director of Planning, Graduate, International Outreach and Cooperation from the Institute of Innovation and Technology Transfer

• Dr. Rocio Gomez-Tagle Rangel, Director of Internationalization EGADE, EGAP, Tecnológico de Monterrey.

• Dr. Carlos Scheel Mayenberger; EGADE Research Professor, Chair Wealth Creation and Innovation

During the visit to PIIT, Colombian businessmen had the opportunity to visit the Center for Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Texas where a panel was held with the participation of:

• Colas Dr. Rafael Ortiz, Director of the Center for Innovation, Research and Development in Engineering and Technology UANL with the theme “Linking UANL with the productive sector and participation of Clusters”
• Dr. Servando Aguirre Tostado, Director of the Nanotechnology Incubator with the theme “Linking nanoincubator with Nanotechnology Cluster of Nuevo Leon”

•Ing. Carlos Ross Scheede, Director of the Center for Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Texas, with the theme “Technology Commercialization”

On August 16 the ITESM OTT held a toast to inaugurate the Exhibition ITESM patented technologies. The event was held at the premises of the Centre for Innovation and Technology Transfer located inside the PIIT.

The welcome was chaired by Patricia Mora director of the Technology Transfer Office of Campus Monterrey and recent graduate student from  our MCCT program.

Those in charge of cutting the ribbon were Dr. Oscar Vazquez, a member of the 5th generation of the MCCT, Dr. Molina and Dr. Francisco Artuto Cantu.

During the event we had the opportunity to talk with one of our graduated students, Hazael Pinto, who has found, along  with his partner, Alvaro Rodriguez Sanchez, the company named DSS Developer of Sustainable Solutions, where they generate a byproduct of the dairy industry, the polylactic acid (PLA in English), a biodegradable plastic, biocompatible and whose origin is completely renewable.

Congratulations to our alumni Hazael  Pinto and  Patricia Mora, we are proud of you and all your accomplishments!

On August 23 we had our orientation session with the 5th. Cohort  of the MCCT. During three days the new students had the opportunity to meet each other, assemble their work teams and integrate as a group. All of this, of course, with the help of our expert in the Birkman Method, Jim Blanchard. We wish you success in the 2012-2013 cycle Welcome!