- Changes in technological world sector and in global economy force Costa Rica to specialize its technological offer
- Europeans qualified Costa Rican strategy as "fresh", "modern" and "with future" during world event in Brussels, Belgium in December, 2008
- European entities of cooperation proved to be interested parties in placing economic resources in Costa Rican projects of innovation and research in technology
December 4th, 2008
Technological innovation in spatial industry, environment and tourism offer opportunities and niches of market that Costa Rica must take advantage of to be more competitive and be positioned as technological destiny.
Costa Rica learned this after its participation in the international meeting of Technologies of Information and Communication (ICT) carried out in December, 2008 in Brussels, Belgium.
Costa Rican Chamber of Technologies of Information and Communication (CAMTIC) took part in this world event with its cases of success and innovation, executed by the Solar ICT Costa Rica project. In addition, the country presented successfully its national strategy for IT sector "Costa Rica: Green and Smart", which supports ecological production and stimulates the development of companies of technological base.
During the meeting "Building ICT research Bridges on the Atlantic", European Comission representatives, consultants, investigators, businessmen and representatives of Non Governmental Organizations (NGO's) supported and qualified Costa Rican technological strategy as "fresh", "modern" and "with future".
Costa Rican projects appear atractive to European Union
CAMTIC's proposal consists of a strategy that seeks to place Costa Rica in specialized niches of market, of technological innovation and cooperation that actual technology suppliers have neglected, such as technology applied to spatial industry, environment, tourism in general and medical tourism especially.
These sectors also generate great interest between entities of cooperation of European Union countries, due to its innovative character.
According to the president of CAMTIC, Alexánder Mora, the development and sophistication of technology are changing the world market. "It forces Costa Rica to accelerate its actions, look for specialization and enter new market niches where it can compete. This means adopting a strategy of differentiation", said CAMTIC's president.
The participation in this meeting, according to Alexánder Mora, let them know "there is fertile land" for projects of innovation, research and cooperation between Costa Rica and the European Union. It is also clear that "europeans don't want to prepare area, but to sow where there is already fertile land".
The first result of this meeting was the interest of several groups of consultants, NGO's and projects in process, which demonstrated interest of getting involved in Costa Rican action networks through researchers, businessmen and Costa Rican managerial organizations.
Many of these action networks are preparing projects to apply to the European Comission cooperation funds.
Alexánder Mora said "this cooperation consist of trillions of Euros in expendable funds for projects of cooperation, principally of Framework Program 7 (FP7) of the European Comission", from which Costa Rica can benefit.
CAMTIC's president marked that it turns out to be fundamental for Costa Rica to build and consolidate an image of technological country. This image will add up to other images Costa Rica already has consolidated around the world, such as tourism, nature, democracy and education.