The President of the Republic, Luis Lacalle Pou, attended the first edition of the Test & Invest Uruguay Business Summit forum, on November 3. The president said that the Ministry of Economy and the Pro-Secretariat of the Presidency are working together with the Uruguayan Chamber of Information Technologies (CUTI) on a legal text in order to attract talent to face the lack of labor in some branches of the sector. .
The activity, organized by the Government in conjunction with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), was conceived with the aim of promoting the country among investors and positioning it as a center of innovation (hub). The event was attended at the Punta del Este Convention Center by the Secretary of the Presidency, Álvaro Delgado; the assistant secretary, Rodrigo Ferrés; the Ministers of Education and Culture (MEC), Pablo da Silveira; of Industry, Energy and Mining (MIEM), Omar Paganini; of Environment, Adrián Peña, and the head of Antel, Gabriel Gurméndez, together with the mayor of Maldonado, Enrique Antía.
Lacalle Pou announced that the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Prosecretariat are working with the CUTI to prepare a legal text to attract Uruguayan talent abroad and internationally, in order to address the need for labor in the technology and innovation.
He argued that, since 1990, Uruguay has been exporting technology and explained that currently between software and services are exported about 1,000 million dollars a year. He added that in this process there is progress and efforts based on national talent, infrastructure and the stability of the country, which is based on the strength of institutions, the separation of powers, and respect for long-term contracts and laws. term. He added that these elements can attract global startups that are interested in Uruguay.
Lacalle Pou pointed out that the national talent is joined by foreigners who have contributed innovation, ideas and visions of the world, by sharing their best practices.
He made reference to the fact that, thanks to globalization, distances have been overcome, no matter where one lives, and that the pandemic has accelerated the process, since technologies have come to the fore in almost all activities, from communication between human beings to the way to work, to teach and to be educated. He said that, with the responsible freedom promoted by the Government, Uruguay has become an attractive country for foreign investors.
In this regard, he mentioned the audiovisual sector, which received content projects from abroad during that period, when this type of production was not carried out in other destinations, and highlighted that Uruguay has its own company classified as Unicorn and other outstanding enterprises at the international level.
He assured that the country is advancing in technology in logistics, agriculture and cybersecurity, and added that progress should be made towards “the next frontier”, alluding to work on the internet of things and biotechnology.
“The vocation of our country is to become a hub at the Latin American level, no longer in the Southern Cone”, he underlined, and highlighted as virtues of the country the friendliness and hospitality of its population, the climate, care for the environment, and security, “which ultimately determines what one he wants to live as an experience”, he emphasized.
The Head of State specified that Uruguay defined as an investment strategy the Uruguay tests, concept that involves the possibility of testing innovation elements on a small scale.
Lacalle Pou said that Uruguay offers guarantees to investors, beyond the parties and ideologies that hold power, and that it gives them development possibilities. He stressed that “they can think long term, dream and take risks, that they are in a firm place where institutions, contracts and laws are respected.”
The forum will take place between November 3 and 4 and will include presentations by international experts in information and communication technologies; biotechnology; renewable energies and audiovisual services. The participation of about 1,400 participants is expected, of which 500 will be foreigners.
