Three Bolivian universities among the 24 winners of the international competition

Three Bolivian universities are among the 24 grant-winning teams of “The 100,000 Strong in the Americas 2023 Innovation Fund”, competition held between higher education institutions from the US, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia.

This was announced this Friday the Association Partners of the Americas and the US Department of State’s Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs.

This year it was the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation of Colombia and the Andean Development Corporation (CAF), the main sponsors of the event.

Brian A. Nichols, assistant secretary of the Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs, stated that this competition generates alliances and international exchange programswhich will innovate, educate and empower the participants.

“Working together, we will expand access to new models of innovative educational programs and inclusive, and we will deepen connections between educational institutions, the private sector, and civil society to ensure a more inclusive, prosperous, and greener hemisphere,” said Nichols.

Among the winning universities are the Private Technological University of Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz; Bolivian Private University, of La Paz; and the Amazon University of Pando.

The winners thanks to new alliances of the fund that will promote innovative and inclusive training programs and exchange for students and teachers in strategic areas, which include climate solutions, sustainable energy, digital transformation, health, creative industries and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), among others.

The first prize, the program Closing the Gender Gap in the Americas: New Methodologies and Curriculum for Action Research and Social Change, is a partnership between Boise State University, Idaho, and the Private Technological University of Santa Cruz, Santa Cruznext to the Scientific University of the South, in Lima.

This program proposes a sustainable cooperation between three universities in the US, Peru and Bolivia, in which students will learn about curricular design and innovative teaching methodologies to infuse global themes into the curricula.

As for the second contest, the Environmental Sustainability Awareness and Civic Engagement Study Abroad program is an alliance between Miami Dade College, Florida, and the Bolivian Private University of La Paz. This program seeks to provide a diverse and inclusive STEM two-way exchange experience between Miami, Florida, and La Paz, for students seeking degrees in Environmental Sustainability, Energy Transition, or Green Economy.

Finally, the Transdisciplinary Participatory Research Exchange Program in the Bolivian Amazon, directed by the University of Florida and the Amazon University of Pandoseeks to solve environmental challenges using innovative, multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary methods, in activities that address the green economy, the environment, climate action, energy transition, gender, inclusion and diversity.