UTNBA Graduate participated as a speaker in the World Economic Forum

Martín Palazzo, M.S., represented UTNBA at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Latin America 2018, held in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, on March 14 and 15.

Palazzo shared the R&D Made in Latin America panel on Science and Technology with Michel Temer, Brazil’s President, and Ana Paula Assis, General Manager of IBM Latin America. The objective of the panel was to address the topic of research and development in the public and private sector, as well as their funding and talent retention policies.

“I joined the panel because I am part of a community named Global Shapers, which belongs to the Forum. It is made up of young people between 20 and 30 years old, who are gathered by the WEF so that they can share a round table with seniors. The average age in these events is usually between 40 and 50, so it is interesting to have an insight from young people about the topics discussed,” Palazzo explained.

“At my table, we analyzed the Science funding situation in the region -not only in Argentina but also in all Latin American countries- and tried to understand how talent retention is achieved. We often hear about brain drain; it not only happens in Argentina, but also in countries like Chile and Brazil. It is very common for someone who has completed an Undergraduate Program and then a Doctorate, which is a huge investment, to finish their career as scientists abroad. That somehow implies a loss of the investment made,” he explained.

The panel further discussed how to generate coordination and cooperation models between the academia and the industry: “knowledge transfer from Basic Sciences to Applied Sciences and the market is an issue that has not been fully addressed yet. That is why the panel included a person from the public sector, in this case from Brazil; a representative from the private sector, in this case from IBM; and I, as a Doctoral student and young researcher,” Palazzo stated.

During the debate, it was concluded that it is necessary to foster a better articulation between the Academia and the Industry and, in this sense, the young researcher affirmed that “the role of UTN is crucial because it promotes research but it is also strongly related to the Industry.”

Palazzo further mentioned that the budget spent by those countries which invest the most in research, such as the United States, Canada, Europe or Japan, is 2 % of the GDP, “not only in the public but also in the private sector. I would like to stress the fact that both the Industry and the Government are investing in Science. In our region, the average budget is 0.7% of the GDP considering both sectors. And Brazil is the country with the highest investment, with around 1%, but it is still low,” he affirmed.