Gisella Orjeda, president of Peru¡¯s National Council of Science, Technology and Technological Innovation (Concytec), has urged universities across the country to work together to build a knowledge economy capable of addressing the key challenges faced by the nation.

She was speaking in Lima earlier this month at the national conference of vice-chancellors, which brought together university leaders representing both public and private institutions.

For a long time, she argued, crucial issues of science, technology and innovation (CTI) had been largely absent from public debate in Peru.

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Over the past three years, however, Concytec had greatly expanded its budget ¨C from 5 million soles (?1.07 million) to 110 million soles (?23.4 million) ¨C and had now been able to develop a proper national policy.

It was now up to universities, Dr Orjeda went on, to play their part in strengthening Peru¡¯s position in science, technology and innovation.

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Crucial initiatives, where Concytec was able to provide support, should help improve access to the most prestigious scientific journals; develop high-quality research centres; and streamline the application and commercialisation of research.

matthew.reisz@tesglobal.com