The project was presented by the Catholic University of Uruguay and aims to be an open laboratory for startups , universities and companies in the Uruguayan country.
From a total of 22 proposals submitted to the call for “Open Labs” (spaces to promote open innovation) from Uruguay Innovation Hub (UIH), the program selected two initiatives to finance: GreenTech Hub , from the University of the Republic and Hub of Electronics and Semiconductors, from the Catholic University of Uruguay (UCU).
In the case of the second project, the agreement between the UCU and UIH was recently signed and it was reported that the program will grant US$ 326 thousand for the creation of an open electronics and semiconductor laboratory.
According to UIH, the project -led by the Microelectronics and IoT working group of the UCU Engineering Department-, "seeks to promote open innovation and facilitate access to technologies for the development of prototypes and the realization of proof of concept tests in Uruguay."
The university explained that with UIH funding, the program will seek to "contribute to the technological development of the country through collaboration between academic institutions and productive sectors."
Alfredo Arnaud, director of the UCU Engineering Department, said that the laboratory, called the “Electronics and Semiconductors Hub,” is not a research project, but rather aims to boost cooperation between universities and companies; a vehicle to facilitate access to the development of electronic products and semiconductor chips,” according to the UCU.
According to the UCU, the laboratory will be operational in the first six months of the project, although it explained that it is a three-year initiative. “The laboratory will evolve until its final format, around the second year,” it said.
The other project selected by UIH, GreenTech Hub , focuses on green technologies, with an emphasis on batteries, electromobility and photovoltaic solar energy. Its objective is to articulate the link between academia and the productive sector, generate technological capabilities and enable new businesses in the energy sector.
