Uruguay Boosts Knowledge Ecosystem to Drive Equitable Growth and Innovation

Before a packed audience in the Innovation Campus hall of the Technological Laboratory of Uruguay (LATU), the president of the Republic, Yamandú Orsi, clearly outlined the vision of the new program Uruguay Innova (U+I). “I have always said it, and I still believe it: the best of this country is the result of positive accumulation,” said the president, stressing that the goal is to leverage that accumulated capital to build something more substantial, clearer, and more effective. “Not starting from scratch, but organizing, seeing how best to rationalize efforts and progress toward a Uruguay that views development with greater optimism,” he said.

Orsi noted that the country has many actors and capabilities in science, technology, and innovation, but the key now is to integrate them strategically. “We must take advantage of all the good things we have so far and take them to levels that bear the stamp of Uruguay. We must improve by rationalizing efforts and sharing objectives and strategies,” insisted the president.

“Growth comes from better recipes”

The program’s director, Bruno Gili, referred to Uruguay Innova as a state policy articulated around four main components: knowledge, innovation, internationalization, and regulatory quality. He explained that the objective is clear: to generate added value, diversify the productive matrix, and promote quality jobs.

He stressed that Uruguay Innova would connect knowledge with development, coordinating the various public agencies, organizations, and actors in the country’s scientific and productive ecosystem. “Uruguay Innova is a concept, an idea that must guide us,” said Gili.

The program, led by the Presidency with the participation of ministries and agencies, aims to address what Gili called a context of “revolution 4.0,” marked by technological transformations, new forms of production, changes in science, business models, and social structures. “These technologies, these new forms of production, these social norms, demographic changes (...) challenge us,” he said. Faced with these global challenges, he explained that the country aims to achieve “growth with equity.”

Gili also quoted economist Paul Romer to illustrate the approach: “Growth comes from better recipes, not from cooking more.” The goal is not to create new structures but to improve the impact of existing ones.

“We are certain, when we look at the indicators, that we are not achieving all the impact we would like,” he said, assuring that Uruguay Innova will work on that basis.

A new institutional framework for knowledge

One of the key announcements was the creation of the Secretariat for Science and Knowledge Generation, which will advise the executive branch and seek to organize the institutional map of the national scientific system. “We are going to build cross-cutting platforms where research related to specific scientific challenges and national problems can occur,” explained Gili.

The secretariat will also identify technological infrastructure needs, strengthen ties with the research diaspora, and generate policies for knowledge transfer to the productive sector.

In addition, it will actively collaborate with the education system and design mechanisms to attract and train new generations of scientists.

Innovation for sustainable development

The Secretary of the Presidency, Alejandro Sánchez, recalled that “the government is convinced that innovation is the way for Uruguay to achieve balanced and equitable development.”

During the event, proposals were put forward to improve access to financing for innovative ventures, modernize regulation in strategic sectors, promote public innovation, and simplify government processes. The need to enable testing spaces and strengthen intellectual property policy was also mentioned as part of a reform agenda that seeks to make Uruguay a more competitive country.

In closing remarks, Gili called for collective commitment to achieve the objectives: “Agencies and policies are tools for us to remove obstacles. Ultimately, the process of innovation and scientific development is carried out by society, universities, companies, and entrepreneurs.”

In his presentation, which brought together a broad representation of national authorities, international organizations, companies, startups, and universities, Gili concluded with a definition that sums up the spirit of the initiative: “Uruguay Innova is an invitation to build a more diversified, more innovative, more sustainable economy with quality jobs and greater social welfare.”