The first of two annual meetings of the FUMEC’s Board of Governors was held from April 29th to May the 1st in Washington, D.C. On the 29th, the members of the Board visited the Mexican Ambassador in the United States, Arturo Sarukhán.  Also, the Board of Governors attended to a reception offered by the Mexican Embassy on May the 30th. 

 

Apart from reviewing the financial report and the advances of the Foundation’s programs, this meeting counted with the presence of special guests with the aim to discuss some topics on health and energy. Of these, the presentations of Juan Figueroa, Programs Director at the National Science Foun-dation (NSF) of the U.S., and David Goodwing from the Science Office of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) stood out.

 

Figueroa’s presentation dealt with the func-tioning of the Small Business Innovation Research y el Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) programs of the NFS, which objective is to increase the incentives and opportunities for small firms to undertake cutting-edge research that would have a high potential economic payoff. This presentation sought to attract the Board of Governor’s attention on the importance to foster the creation and strengthening of advanced technology firms in Mexico, following the NSF model.

 

Similarly, Goodwin’s presentation was centered on the support mechanisms of the DOE for the development of forefront research, also through the SBIR/STTR programs. Mexico has conditions to draw on this model and design a similar system to promote the development of research projects within technology firms with the support of the Mexican Minister of Energy and CONACYT. It’s worth to remember that the SBIR/STTR are successful programs of the U.S. government that has supported thousands of SMES that undertake research and development projects in this country.