Arturo Santos, Director of Technology Transfer and Technological Entrepreneurship at Tec de Monterrey shared information about the Science Connexion platform, a virtual ecosystem encouraging scientific and technology entrepreneurship. 

This platform attempts to bring together executives, researchers, and entrepreneurs interested in organizing and participating in research calls. 

The knowledge obtained can be used to create prototypes, partnerships, implementations in organizations and businesses, and even market presence through startups.

This platform’s inclusivity, which is not restricted to researchers, means that any partner with experience in varied fields, such as business models or market studies, can join. 

“Science Connexion is the virtual hub for scientific and technological entrepreneurship at Tec de Monterrey and additionally serves as the official communication channel for all related matters,” he said.

The Science Connexion platform

Santos explains that the platform’s first stage is registration, in which users enter their professional details and tell their expertise in one or more fields. 

The software then uses algorithms to establish interdisciplinary groups, making forming teams to work on projects or calls easier. Since its inception, 2000 contributors have registered.

Currently, the platform is only available to Tec de Monterrey community members. However, Santos stated that they are considering integrating researchers from different universities. 

For example, they recently announced the prospect of joint initiatives with the University of La Frontera in Chile (UFRO), with whom they had previously partnered. 

“Through Science Connexion, pairs were formed – teams of two researchers, one from the University of La Frontera in Chile and the other from Tec, proposing research projects oriented towards entrepreneurship,” he said.

They also intend for the platform to act as a bridge between industry, academia, and investment funds focused on scientific entrepreneurship. 

“It should serve as a showcase for our intellectual property portfolio. Industry can see what we have, and if there is a patent, registration, or copyright of interest, this should be the point of contact,” Santos explained.

The director stated that they are working on a future tokenization project that will generate NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) for research and intellectual property, emphasizing encouraging technological transfer.