Seven higher education institutions signed an agreement to create a University HUB of innovation and technology transfer in order to encourage strategic partnerships between the academic, social, public and productive sectors.

The aim of the HUB is to encourage innovation, entrepreneurship and technology transfer between Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, Universidad de Cuenca, Universidad del Azuay, Universidad Nacional de Educación, Universidad Católica de Cuenca, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja and Universidad Técnica de Machala. 

Father Javier Herran, UPS president, spoke about the challenges of university education  and the joint work between universities: "without research there is no knowledge production and without knowledge production there is no university. Therefore, initiatives such as the HUB are of vital importance for academia." 

With the HUB, academia, the productive sector and the government will work together to support young people who wish to start a business. People who take part in this initiative will have permanent support during the entire process in order to build a prototype and create a business model that causes an impact. 

Adrian Bonilla, representative of the Secretariat of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (SENESCYT for its acronym in Spanish), said the initiatives are aimed at strengthening collective learning and knowledge on productive activities in the country". "The initiatives, ventures and ideas that arise in these meetings should be aimed at reducing poverty and inequality", said Bonilla.