NUMBER 1, NOV / DIC 2018
SUPERCOMPUTERS INNOVA 2020 CISCO ACADEMY WINNERS OF OPEN FUTURE ZEDE YACHAY WITCHES FLY OVER YACHAY YACHAY INSIDE 1
PROLOGUE Ing. Jorge Martínez V.
Team: Creative Director Ma. Paulina Puga Editorial Counselor Ma. Fernanda Cevallos Editor in Chief Jorge Gómez Art Director Pablo D. Moreno Design & Layout Pablo D. Moreno Writers Verónica Echegaray Jorge Gómez Andrea León Fernanda Cevallos Contributors Ma. Augusta Escobar, Carlos Fajardo, Juan Carlos Morales, Guo Meng, Sebastián Rodríguez Text Editor Jorge Gómez English Version Johnny Mejia
It is an honor for me to launch our magazine, something that was needed long ago to spread the work of this great company. In this issue we present two excellent chronicles based on the growth of our institutions. Which due to their relevance and the service they provide to our community, have become indispensable members of Yachay. Furthermore, whose existence, we all celebrate. I mean our beloved La Voladora Cultural Center and the hard work of the Cisco Academy. In this issue, you can also keep up to date with an interesting interview about the characteristics of ZEDE (Special Economic Development Zone), as well as its advantages and benefits. Moreover, find information of what was for us the recent INNOVA 2020 meeting, which opened doors to entrepreneurship and to economic strengthening in our region. You will also find samples of our efforts to revitalize traditions: the origin of the legendary Voladoras. We also publish a short, but complete, guide of supercomputing: it’s advancement in the country and in the world, with two excellent articles. Finally, I wanted to share with you the desire of the whole company, and mine in particular, to enhance all the new projects, as to consolidate ourselves as the leading public company in technological innovation, with a purely service and social spirit. Wishing you the best, with the assurance of being able to count on your collaboration in this exciting stage, I take the opportunity to send you a warm greeting.
Photographer Pablo D. Moreno, Jorge Gómez 2 YACHAY INSIDE
YACHAY INSIDE 3
INDEX 6 REPORTAGE The works of tomorrow a threat or an opportunity?
12 Highlight Supercomputers Supercomputation in Ecuador and Latin America
18 INTERVIEW Direction of special economic development zone and industry
22 COMMUNITY La voladora 4 years of learning and dreaming
25 STUDENTS I Want A Clean Planet
27 TECHNOLOGY We present the winners of the Ecuador Open Future Challenge
30 BUSINESS Innova 2020
33 URCUQUĂ? Witches fly over Yachay
4 YACHAY INSIDE
YACHAY INSIDE 5
REPORTAGE The works of tomorrow: a threat or an opportunity?
Verónica Echegaray
Technological innovation, automation and robotics are advancing rapidly. The scenario where machines replace people is getting closer. According to data from the World Bank, 79% of children who are now 8 years old will work in activities that do not yet exist and that are just starting to be seen. In a few years the usual answers to the question: what do you want to be when you grow up? will change to professions such as: nanorobots driver, smart factory engineer, organ designer, meteorological hacker, growth hacker, among others mentioned by scholars, in the so-called 4th Industrial Revolution. Alberto Rodríguez, Country Director for Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru, Latin America and Caribbean; interviewed by the newspaper El Tiempo from Colombia, warns that the labor revolution is already under way. “Non-routine tasks are displacing traditional jobs that will not see the nascent generations,” he says. With such a panorama, experts indicate that new job skills are needed that demand digital training. Undoubtedly, the new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are changing industries and, digital education is key to reducing the gap between jobs and technological skills, which will face future workers. Technology management is essential in the jobs of the future. A little more than 15 years ago there were elevator operators, a little behind, postmen and telephone operators. “We have an obligation to show children and young people, the need to train in new technologies, even more to teachers, who have in their hands the opportunity to wake in their students’ interest in this knowledge,” says Jorge Noguera, analyst of the Yachay State Company, who together with Fabián Criollo and Pablo Guerrero, 6 YACHAY INSIDE
REPORTAGE
leads one of the most important services offered by this governmental institution to the community.
New technologies vs. inclusive growth
The Cisco Networking Academy programs arrived in the north of Ecuador, through an agreement signed in 2014, between Yachay EP and the multinational Cisco System. Hundreds of people, interested in starting or increasing their knowledge in Information Technology (IT), accessed training in the City of Knowledge.
Given the wave of digitalization and automation that is transforming the global economy, several studies show that the adoption of information and communication technologies (ICT) offers more inclusive growth, by increasing the production of the companies involved. The World Bank, in its publication “The jobs of tomorrow: technology, productivity and prosperity in Latin America and the Caribbean”, talks about an improvement in the job prospects of low-skilled workers.
The results, after our first year, were positive. In 2015, Cisco named Yachay EP as a Support Center. Currently is conformed by five academies that represent higher education institutions in Quito and Sangolquí. Yachay EP provides maintenance to the platform, trains instructors and supports its professionals. In just over a year (2016), Yachay EP has been accredited as a Training Center for Instructors, and in 2017, it has been recognized as a Premier Partner in ASC REWARDS PROGRAM, “for being an example in the promotion of Cisco Networking Academy services to the community and by contributing to the success of students and teachers of the academy.” Pablo Guerrero (Yachay EP) highlights one of the initiatives that brought “good results” to this project. In coordination with the Ministry of Labor Relations, 800 participants of the “My first job” project were trained. The virtual platform of Cisco facilitated the training of interns, linked to different public institutions, throughout the country. The management in numbers translates into trained professionals:
YEAR 2014 - 2015 2015 - 2016 2016 - 2017
“To design development policies, we need to measure the impact of the adoption of new technologies on inclusive growth... education, training and labor market policies must ensure that the skills offered through the formal education system, and those acquired throughout life in the labor market, support the adoption and use of digital technologies and be available to companies when they need them”, the document says.
Sources: Dutz, Mark A., Rita K. Almeida y Truman G. Packard. 2018. “Resumen.” Los empleos del mañana: Tecnología, productividad y prosperidad en América Latina y el Caribe. Cuadernillo del Banco Mundial, Washington, DC. doi:10.1596/978-1-4648-1222-4. Licencia: Creative Commons de Reconocimiento CC BY 3.0 IGO https://www.eltiempo.com/economia/sectores/ empleos-que-van-a-desaparecer-en-el-futurosegun-banco-mundial-128940
# OF TRAINED PEOPLE 784 3.271 5.139
YACHAY INSIDE 7
8 YACHAY INSIDE
YACHAY INSIDE 9
HIGHLIGHT
10 YACHAY INSIDE
YACHAY INSIDE 11
HIGHLIGHT
HIGHLIGHT
+ 1,340000000002 / 0,555555555511 = 1,895555555513
Supercomputers
Guo Meng
A supercomputer has calculation capabilities much higher than common computers such as a desktop and that are used for specific purposes. Today this term, Supercomputer, is being replaced by “highperformance computer”, “environment of high performance computing” or “high end computing” because supercomputers are a set of powerful computers joined. Yes, working as a cluster to increase its work power and performance, interconnected by a network of high speed or high performance. The department of the United States defines parallel computing as: “Simultaneous processing by more than one 1 processing unit in a single application” . Floating point numbers are usually expressed in scientific notation with an explicit point always between the first and second digits. The exponent is either written explicitly including the base, or an e is used 2 to separate it from the mantissa .
Mantissa Exponent
5
-3
6.667
-11
Scientific notation
Fixed point value
5 ⋅ 10-3
0.005
6.667e-11 0.0000000000667
As of 2011, the fastest supercomputers ran around more than 1 Pflops [10]^ 15 = 1 Quadrillion (this figure in supercomputing issues means that they perform a quadrillion 3 of floating point operations per second) .
Yuefan Deng, Applied Parallel Computing, World Scientific Publishing. 2 Originally, mantissa refers to the difference between a number and its integer, that is, its fractional part.
12 YACHAY INSIDE
• Scientists use supercomputers to simulate how a tsunami could affect a certain coast or city. • Supercomputers are used to test the aerodynamics of the most recent military aircraft.
The first supercomputer started operating in 1964 and was called “CDC 6600”, it used a single processor and had the capacity to perform three million calculations per second, currently if we compare it with a Smartphone (iPhone), the result would be that CDC was 10000 times slower. The list of the faster supercomputers is on the TOP500 list https://www.top500.org/, which is the ranking of the 500 highest performance supercomputers in the world. This list is compiled by internationally renowned teachers from countries such as Germany and the United States; It is responsible for publishing an updated list every six months. The first update of each year is held in June, coinciding with the International Supercomputer Conference, and the second update is held in November at the IEEE Supercomputer Conference. Supercomputers are used to solve problems of very high complexity or that can not be done in experimental research very easily, either because they are dangerous, involve incredibly small or incredibly large things. Here are some examples: • Search of oil fields with a seismic databases with high number of data. • Through the use of supercomputers, scientific users use the past climate records to predict the future climate.
1
• Scientists investigating outer space and its properties use supercomputers to simulate stellar interiors, simulate stellar evolution of stars (supernova events, collapse of molecular clouds, etc.), perform cosmological simulations, and model spatial weather.
Here is an example of a simple two-digit operation with floating point for better illustration:
3 Yuefan Deng, Applied Parallel Computing, World Scientific Publishing.
• Supercomputers are being used to model how proteins bend and how that folding can affect people suffering from diseases such as Alzheimer’s, cystic fibrosis and many types of cancer. • Supercomputers are used to model nuclear explosions, limiting the need for true nuclear tests.
The Operating System on Supercomputers. Linux is currently the predominant operating system due to several factors, such as its cost is zero, which has a generic 4 kernel, which has a great scalability that allows it to adapt to large loads easily, its installation is based on small modules, which each one does a task: with this it is achieved that if one is modified it does not affect the others, also its code is open which allows that at any moment we can modify this before any change that is wanted or arises in the supercomputer; Another point is that behind it has a large community that gives support, and finally allows us to test network configuration without the need to restart the system.
Refers to the desirable property of a system, a network or a process, which indicates its ability to react and adapt without losing quality, or either managing the continuous growth of work in a fluid way, or to be prepared to be expanded. 4
YACHAY INSIDE 13
HIGHLIGHT
HIGHLIGHT
Supercomputation in
Carlos Fajardo
Sources: https://www.networkworld.com/article/3236875 /servers/embargo-10-of-the-worlds-fastestsupercomputers.html https://www.top500.org/ https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/20/what-is-asupercomputer.html
Ecuador and Latin America.
To begin, high performance computing (HPC): Is: a fundamental strategic tool for scientific progress, development, trade and industrial innovation, national security and other social challenges through mathematical modeling, data analysis and computational simulation. Consists: in the use of supercomputers, through programming techniques and parallel processing, to solve complex multidisciplinary problems of science and society, through computer simulations. Constitutes: an important role, both for the scientific development of a nation, and for the economic competitiveness of national production with faster industrial solutions, less expensive and higher quality. It allows scientists to invent innovative solutions, reduce costs and time to market, new products and services. 1 The war of the Flops , dates back to the 1970s in the world. According to the Top500 (https://www.top500.org/) -project that establishes a ranking of the faster 500 supercomputers in the world-, the most powerful computer in the world is in the United States, at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, assembled by IBM and whose Rmax is 122.3 PFLOPS and Rpeak is 187.66 PFLOPS.
In the first 10 places are located the most powerful supercomputers, in which the predominance is determined by countries
1
In computing, FLOPS are “floating-point operations per second” referenced to the performance of a computer, especially in scientific calculations that require high speed. In the same way, that in the space race served to demonstrate the technical power and technological progress in the Cold War, nowadays the desire to have the most powerful supercomputer is evident in “The War of the Flops”, currently starring China and the US.
14 YACHAY INSIDE
YACHAY INSIDE 15
HIGHLIGHT such as the United States (6), China (2), Japan (1), Switzerland (1). IN ECUADOR
The first HPC Cluster, in the country, dates back to 2008, at UTPL in Loja, to which later have joined others. In 2017, it officially started the operation of the first supercomputer in the country, whose installation begins in 2016, together with its respective testing phase.
This center will be articulated to the Academy, Industry and Government, generating synergy towards the integral development of the country and promoting local growth.
ESPECIAL
Currently, the supercomputer Quinde I, from the National Supercomputing Center in YACHAY E.P., is the computer with the highest processing capacity in Ecuador. The other equipment, installed in the country, are HPC clusters. 27 research projects from the Academy, Industry and State have been approved. The executed projects are related to computational simulation topics, as well as in the fields of theoretical physics and applied mathematics, weather forecasting, health, plant and animal sanity, neural networks, learning, social sciences, among others. IN LATIN AMERICA: At the Latin American level, the supercomputer Quinde I is the second in operation in the region. According to the Top500, Brazil has one ranked 199, with Cloud Provider, a Rmax of 1.1232 PFLOPS and Rpeak of 1,413 PFLOPS, however due to the high operating costs this equipment is not operational. The rest of supercomputers or supercomputing clusters in Latin America, none of them is part of this elite group. CONCLUSIONS: The future National Center of Supercomputing, will strengthen the knowledge economy, through the operation of the supercomputer Quinde I, established in YACHAY E.P. Its objective is to incorporate competitive advantages, for the generation of research and production of services that provide added value, with a medium and long-term vision. 16 YACHAY INSIDE
YACHAY INSIDE 17
INTERVIEW Direction of special economic development zone and industry
INTERVIEW
linkages and economies of scale.
4. Produce goods and services with a high Ecuadorian component, oriented to the substitution of imports or promotion of exports. 5. Guide the facilitation of exports and consolidation of local and regional production linkages, from border areas, ports and airports. 6. Promote scientific research, disaggregation, transfer and technological development, as well as innovative production processes, aimed at changing the productive matrix. 7. Promote the hiring of national human talent 8. Focus the development of one or more of the following industries and their linkages: 1) Strategic; 2) Basic; 3) Information and communication technologies; 4) Chemical and pharmaceutical; and, 5) Machineries, equipment, engines, vehicles and parts. .
María Elisa Naranjo Alarcón Director of ZEDE and Industry of Yachay EP Master on Foreign Trade with a major in Customs Management
WHAT IS ZEDE YACHAY?
Has 17 years of experience in the customs field, imports, exports, customs regimes, taxation and customs regulations, valuation and tariff classification, rules of origin, incoterms. Currently directs ZEDE Yachay.
WHAT IS THE ZEDE YACHAY AND WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE FROM OTHER ZEDES?
a) The destruction;
Let’s start by knowing what a ZEDE is. According to the Organic Code of Production, Trade and Investment, Article 34 establishes: The National Government may authorize the establishment of Special Economic Development Zones - ZEDE as a customs destination, in delimited areas of the national territory to settle new investments with the incentives established by this code ... “
c) Admission to a Customs Regime; and,
But then, what is a customs destination? It is the end that is given to a merchandise entered into the Country. According to the regulation to the Customs Facilitation title, customs destinations are considered: 18 YACHAY INSIDE
b) The abandonment;
d) Admission to a Special Economic Development Zone or a Free Zone.
WHAT ARE THE POLICIES FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A ZEDE? 1. Guide the development of prioritized geographic areas of the country.
Yachay City of Knowledge, was declared a Special Economic Development Zone in 2013 by resolution of the Sectoral Council of Production, who at that time had the privileges to qualify a ZEDE, with a validity of 20 years, and opportunities for new investments of technological, industrial and logistic types, which will enjoy tax incentives and facilities to carry out productive chains, with links to R+D+I processes, among other benefits that can only be found in an environment such as the Yachay City of Knowledge.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN INCENTIVES THAT A ZEDE PROVIDES? ZEDE offers tax incentives:
2. Diversify the supply of goods and services in economic sectors.
• Income tax exemption for 10 years for administrators and operators.
3. Orient the inclusion of national suppliers in the clusters that will be developed in the ZEDE, in order to generate productive
• Additional reduction of 10% in the income tax rate for 10 years after the end of the exemption period.
• Exoneration of Foreign Exchange Tax on imports, financing and dividend payments. • Exoneration of tariff and VAT on imports.
• VAT tax credit, paid on purchases of raw materials from the national territory.
WHAT ARE THE SERVICES AND ADVANTAGES THAT ZEDE YACHAY OFFERS? In the ZEDE Yachay there are additional and unique benefits, which are only offered by the innovation ecosystem of the Yachay City of Knowledge and are the following: • FAB LAB: it is a laboratory of digital manufacturing and prototyping, where they can access the network of laboratories and link with entrepreneurs and incubation programs. • CDT Technological Disaggregation Center, where processes of reverse engineering, industrial prototyping and technology transfer are developed. • The Supercomputer Quinde I, for applied research. • YachayTech University and the Higher Technological Institute where complementary professionals are educated in research and development, training the human talent required by innovation processes; as well as technicians and technologists specialized in industrial and business processes.
WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS TO APPLY TO ZEDE YACHAY? The requirements to qualify as Operator of the ZEDE Yachay, are required by the Economic and Productive Sector Council that are mentioned in Art. 47 of the Regulation to the Investment Productive Development Structure. As the Sectorial Council is the entity that authorizes the qualification as Operator of ZEDE.
YACHAY INSIDE 19
INTERVIEW WHICH ACTORS INVOLVED IN THE YACHAY ZEDE?
Administrators of ZEDE.- private, public or mixed economy national or foreign corporate entities, upon request, may become administrators of special economic development zones, provided they obtain the authorization to carry out one of the activities described in Art. 36 of the Code. Its function will be the development, administration and operational control of the ZEDE, in accordance with the obligations established by the regulations to the Code and those determined by the Sectoral Council for production.
Operators of ZEDE.- The operators are natural or legal persons, public, private or mixed, national or foreign, proposed by the administrator of the ZEDE and qualified by the Sectoral Council of production, which can develop the authorized activities in these delimited areas of the territory national. Supporting services.- Any natural or legal person, national or foreign, wishing to establish a Special Economic Development Zone to provide support services or support to operators installed in the authorized area, must submit their request to the respective administrator, who will approve
20 YACHAY INSIDE
or will deny your request after a favorable opinion from the Technical Operating Unit, responsible for the supervision and control of the ZEDE. It is important to mention that the ZEDE Yachay offers opportunities to involve entrepreneurs and Techno Agricultural Projects with potential to qualify as Operators of the ZEDE.
WHAT IS YOUR PROJECTION FOR THE FUTURE? The ZEDE Yachay is an important driver for the change in the productive matrix as well as the economic growth of the Province and the North of the Country. In the next 3 years it is projected to have at least 10 qualified operators in our ZEDE. In the long term, ZEDE Yachay will be able to generate around 10,000 new places of direct and indirect employment, from the operation of more than 100 companies among industrial, logistics and technology, in addition to the companies providing support or support services.
YACHAY INSIDE 21
COMMUNITY La voladora:
4 years of learning and dreaming
Ma. Augusta Escobar
The Artistic & Cultural Center “La Voladora” is a space created by Yachay State Company, with the objective of promoting the integral development of the population of the City of Knowledge and its surrounding areas, among which are the communities located in the polygon of influence and the parishes of the Urcuquí canton. After four years, “La Voladora” (or The Flying Girl) has established itself as a center for artistic and cultural education among children and young people; which has facilitated training and entertainment meetings for adults and seniors; taking to the stage outstanding presentations in Guaranda, Quito, Otavalo, Ibarra and Pastaza, demonstrating talent, skill, discipline and perseverance. Undoubtedly, life in Yachay City has been nuanced by the participation of all those who are part of “La Voladora”. In addition, it is important to emphasize that, art has not only achieved the training of new talents in music, dance, circus, theater and other expressions, but also has made a change, in daily life, of the entire community. The work of the La Voladora Cultural Center has resulted in the promotion of local and national culture, within the City of Knowledge, based on the active participation of the community; the collaboration of officials, who participate as volunteers in the different temporary workshops; the approach to formal education, through educational projects that are worked in conjunction with the Millennium School of Yachay, from 2015. In this school year (2018-2019) occurs the accompaniment to educational projects of the Private School Jijón Caamaño y Flores.
22 YACHAY INSIDE
COMMUNITY
La Voladora Cultural Center, through its artistic workshops and events organized a cultural agenda that has caused a great impact on the City of Knowledge and its area of influence. Since its creation in 2014, La Voladora has received participants from places as diverse as: San Juan, San Antonio de Purapuche, Tapiapamba, Imbaya, El Puente, Azaya, San Vicente, Santa Rosa, Armastola, Las Mercedes, San Juan, San Blas, San Ignacio, Tumbabiro, Pablo Arenas, Cahuasqui, Otavalo and Ibarra; becoming a space of social inclusion and integration for the community. This initiative seeks to strengthen the relationship between Yachay EP and the community by giving them an alternative on creativeness, being sensitive to the customs and traditions of the area. Additionally, “La Voladora” represents a point of reference for the generation of cultural proposals for the community, as well as a potential generator of national and international investment. The Cultural Center manages a varied cultural agenda that includes: •Permanent workshops •Special workshops
Diego Salgado, music teacher, who has been part of the Cultural Center since its beginnings comments “It has been a process of mutual teaching in these four years because when you teach, you learn. Along the way, I had to play other instruments, this was a good example for my students to open their minds and see many musical possibilities. Our duty is to be a guide, a mentor to expand their minds and achieve their dreams “
In this process of mutual teaching we have students who have been with us since October 2014; Mateo Gordillo is one of them, student of the Yachay Social Circus who tells us “I was very attracted to the opportunity to do new things and I was motivated to see how other people performed these activities. Now, I’m good at juggling and on the unicycle. At La Voladora I have learned to be a good partner, to be respectful and have made many friends.” Fatima Maldonado, a student of the dance workshop, also explains that “I have learned to be a better person, to respect others, to make more friends and to help them as much as I can. Here I have found true friends, it’s something fun and we all support each other, it’s like having a second family.”
•Workshops for the Elderly •Annual summer course of Yachay City, San Blas, Cahuasqui and Pablo Arenas •Support for educational projects of the Millenium School of Yachay, Private School Jijón Caamaño y Flores. •Classes of Social Circus in Institute of Special Education of Ibarra, School of the Deaf, CAI (Center of Adolescent who committed infractions). •Participation in invitations to internal and external events to the company. •Participation in the holiday calendar of the communities surrounding Yachay City. •Artistic presentations of follow-up and affirmation of knowledge according to the work schedule of each workshop. YACHAY INSIDE 23
COMUNIDAD
STUDENTS I Want A Clean Planet:
Sebastián Rodríguez
None of us, the twelve members that are currently working on the project, would have imagined that something that started as a simple activity-collecting garbage would get so much impact in our environment.
slogan from a group of Yachay Tech students
I want A Clean Planet started on July 29, this year, when together with a friend we were in the city of Manta and we were outraged by the amount of trash we saw on the beaches. We were sensitive to the environmental problems and we were clear that we had to do something about it, so we committed to pick up a garbage bag, anywhere we were, at least once a week and for an indefinite period of time. A month later, we returned to Yachay to start the new semester and this idea was strengthened, to later become a plan to link with society. We wanted to involve more volunteers and develop a comprehensive project. In short, I Want A Clean Planet is being constituted in a program of awareness about pollution with garbage. We know it will not be an easy task, but - in the long term - we want to improve the habits of Urcuquí residents (including members of the university campus and Yachay) about the importance of having a responsible garbage management. We believe that the three components of the project: research, education and action, will allow us to achieve this goal. Thus, under the tutorship of our Statistical professors, we propose a study to know the amount and type of garbage that can be found in the Urcuquí parish. This data is crucial, because when carried out regularly, it allows us to have an objective indicator on the impact of the project in the reduction of garbage. The exploratory sampling of 15 apples allowed us to infer that there is solid waste in all the blocks of the parish, with plastic being the main one, with a presence of 24 YACHAY INSIDE
YACHAY INSIDE 25
STUDENTS 51.2%, followed by cigarette butts, with 16.1%. There is an average of 5.8 pounds of garbage, in the perimeter of each of the sampled apples and, garbage was detected in practically every space of the parish: streets, sidewalks, ditches, central park, vacant lots, among other places. We note that there is a greater concentration of garbage in the outer blocks, with respect to the central blocks (those near the park). We also observed that children and young people from educational institutions, and other residents, throw garbage after buying consumable products from local merchants. In addition, several points of garbage concentration have been identified, especially in vacant lots.
Now, how do we intend to change that reality? Our bet is on education, and for that reason we elaborated talks addressed to the inhabitants of Urcuquí, about the impact that the garbage can have, not only in the ecosystems, but also how this can directly affect your life. For example, the garbage that we find accumulated in the acequias hinders the normal course of the water, which can generate problems in the irrigation of the lands. On the other hand, the garbage causes affectation to the decoration of the parish and increases the possibilities of clogging the sewers. With all this in mind, in the course of the following weeks, we will start giving talks at the two educational institutions of the parish. If we want to make a positive impact on the environment, we believe that we cannot just tell people not to throw garbage where it should not. It is essential that we talk about the 3 Rs: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle and the best way to do it, without a doubt, is to educate by example. With the guys from the project we are building a space in our university, called DIY-Yachay. This activity, corresponding to the component “Action”, of the project “ I Want A Clean Planet”, refers to the creation of a place, similar to a workshop, in which different kinds of crafts can be made, using garbage as a raw material. DIY, which means Do It Yourself, is an initiative replicated in several countries in which the manufacture of objects is promoted, with some practical purpose, instead of buying them. If this idea is consolidated in the university, it would be 26 YACHAY INSIDE
the first time it is carried out in the country. I must confess that we are dreamers, so we do not intend that this initiative is only part of Yachay or Urcuquí. From the next semester we will start visiting other universities in the country, so that I Want a Clean Planet will continue spreading as a project of connection. In this way, we can build a collaborative network to continue collecting data on garbage, to share experiences and, with that, to continue offering our small contribution to save the planet.
TECHNOLOGY We present the winners of the
Fernanda Cevallos
Ecuador Open Future Challenge
After the thirteen finalist projects of Ecuador Open Future, eight in the category of Efficient Technologies III and five in the category of Agrotech, presented their projects in front of the qualifying jury, made up of members of the Yachay State Company and Telefónica, they chose the 5 winning ventures, which will be incubated in the City of Knowledge, starting next year. In the category of Efficient Technologies III, there were three winning projects: Alau, KioskoTech and Salux. Alau, is a start-up that offers an educational platform for students to prepare and take their entrance exam to the university, through innovative virtual learning experiences. The second winning project, in this category, was Kiostech, the team made up of students from YachayTech University, who promise interactive digital kiosks to place them in stores. They work as a sales assistant, to improve customer service and experience. The third winning venture, was Salux; a device that replaces the use of energy from fossil fuels, used for the destruction of sharp objects. In addition, it protects the health of personnel who are directly and indirectly involved with this type of infectious objects. On the other hand, the projects that won in the Agrotech category were Water-Y and Filitech. It is worth to mention that both groups are made up of students from the YachayTech University. The Water-Y venture, offers to remedy the lack of water, using the H2O condensation, effectively for the industry, condensing the largest amount of water per minute, in the shortest possible time. YACHAY INSIDE 27
TECHNOLOGY TECHNOLOGY Finally, the Filitech project is a high-tech start-up, responsible for the research and modification of the behavior of the enzyme known as Rubisco. With an optimal functioning of this enzyme, inefficiencies related to low productivity and quality in foods can be reduced and eliminated. In this way, the Open Open Future Challenge has culminated, allowing the participants to develop great initiatives that contribute to the strengthening of the culture of entrepreneurship and innovation in the country.
Contact: Jonathan Sรกnchez Direction of Scientific - Technological Park and Innovation parquetecnologico@yachay.gob.ec +593 62 - 995 - 400 ext. 1852
28 YACHAY INSIDE
YACHAY INSIDE 29
BUSINESS
BUSINESS
Innova 2020 attracted businessmen and entrepreneurs from throughout the region.
Jorge Gómez
Yachay State Company, together with the Zonal Coordination 1 of the Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade and Investments, organized on October 16 the Innova 2020 meeting. This event welcomed entrepreneurs and representatives of the productive sector of the province of Imbabura, who shared conferences aimed at understanding the new Organic Law for Productive Development, Attraction and Investments, Employment Generation, and Fiscal Stability and Balance; as well as the concepts of associativity, Industry 4.0, and the different innovation programs and opportunities to invest in the Yachay City of Knowledge. In our country, the concept of Industry 4.0 is still incipient. It is, despite the fact that for more than a decade, it has marked lifestyle and the way in which we relate to others, as well as art, culture, entertainment, commerce, production and, consequently, the way in which business is done and economic relations are established, all over the world. However, this is imminent. The so-called 4th Industrial Revolution is based on cyberphysical systems, which combine physical infrastructure with software, sensors, nanotechnology and digital technology in communications and whose effects can be seen in the automation of factories, optimization of designs, industrial processes and operations, as well as as in smart buildings and cities. In addition, it allows manufacturing products, without penalizing the cost, regardless of the number of pieces, and makes it much simpler to produce small batches, from tiny pieces of machinery to prototypes. In Ecuador, this industry is still new and its propagation will greatly affect the culture of local entrepreneurship, as
30 YACHAY INSIDE
well as the movement of small economies. Due to this, Innova 2020 was conceived as a space in which the consequences, benefits and possibilities of the emergence of new technologies could be addressed, as paradigms of the new business models and their usage for social purposes. They also discussed the incentives for the northern sector granted by the new Organic Law for Productive Development, Attraction and Investment, Employment Generation, and Stability and Fiscal Balance, where entrepreneurs and businessmen who want to receive them and, above all, the possibility of that in the future investments can be made, with technology-based industries, in the region.
Among the attendees were representatives of the Chamber of Commerce of Ibarra, Craft Chamber of Otavalo, Textile Chamber of Atuntaqui, students and academics of the Technical University of the North, as well as businessmen from the area, who were able to strengthen links, as well as to know their proposals, in favor of local and national economic growth, from the use of new technologies and the revitalization of small industries.
The meeting was held at the Innópolis Entrepreneurship Center of Yachay EP and brought together the main economic representatives of the province. After the welcome words, delivered by Patricio Aguirre, Manager of Productive and Insdustrial Development & Innovation of Yachay EP., the presentations were developed: “Technological base for the development of 4.0 Industry”, by Juan Carlos Bravo, General Manager of Sistemplan SA; «Associativity», dictated by the LL.B. Lorena Tito, Legal Analyst of MIPRO, the “Socialization of the Organic Law for Productive Development, Attraction and Investments, Employment Generation, and Fiscal Stability and Balance”; by Giovanni Lara, also a member of MIPRO, and «Entrepreneurship and Innovation» by Jesús Araguren, Director of Science Technology, Innovation and Ancestral Knowledge of SENESCYT. María Elisa Jarrín, Zonal Coordinator of the Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade and Investment, reiterated the commitment of the National Government to empower all the provinces of the country, through investment projects and the permanent support of public institutions, to entrepreneurs and businessmen. In addition, the main services offered by Yachay were presented, including: Science and Technology Park, Supercomputer Quinde I, techno-agricultural projects, CDT and Zede (read the interview).
YACHAY INSIDE 31
URCUQUÍ Witches fly over Yachay
Juan Carlos Morales
As is well known, the City of Knowledge, Yachay, is located in the canton of Urcuquí. The project has taken into consideration, not only academic studies and infrastructure, but also the legacy of this land, as well as its intangible assets. According to criteria established by Unesco and considering that the country is a signatory to the Intergovernmental Agreement on Cultural Heritage, an investigation by the Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar determined -among other topics, such as festivals or religious imagesto consider within the national mythology goblins, the Luterana woman, the woman without feet in Tumbabiro and the flying witches of Urcuquí. The goblin, in general, is described as a small man with a big hat, who falls in love with women with big eyes and bulging hair. By means of spells, he takes his victims to the ravines. To get rid of the spell, family members must obtain a cross of garlic. In Tumbabiro, a small town rich in mythologies, there is also the fable of the woman without feet, a sort of appearance that, together with the mechayas (fearsome fires) and the witches of Urcuquí, are a substantial part of that identity. The mentioned witches, who act in a triangle of populations (Urcuquí-Mira-Pimampiro), are a sort of post office that carries the news and, unlike their Nordic relatives, do not fly on a broom but wear white suits and extend their arms exclaiming: “From beam to beam / from town to town / without God nor Santa Maria”. This spell is similar to that of the Iberian witches. The patrimonial card refers: “It is known as the flying witches, the buitras or simply the flying ones, the women of a single family, 32 YACHAY INSIDE
YACHAY INSIDE 33
URCUQUÍ who were said to know how to fly.” This legend is linked to the struggle that the inhabitants of Urcuquí maintained with the hacendados for the control of the ditch called “Los Caciques”. The fundamental power of witches is the permutation of human beings into animals (roosters) and fruits (bananas), as well as knowing prayers, enchantments and potions to fly. Its main arrival points were in the Mira-PimampiroUrcuquí triangle.” Among the emblematic legends is that of Father Urcu, who tells the dispute between the lachas and the litas and, thanks to the intervention of that deity, settled down in the plain of Cahuasquí. These issues are vital, since the change of the productive matrix also implies knowledge and the revitalization of our ancestral knowledge. Article originally published in: http://juancarlosmoralesmejia.blogspot. c o m / 2 014 / 0 4 / l a s - b r u j a s - s o b r e v u e l a n yachay.html?m=1
34 YACHAY INSIDE
YACHAY INSIDE 35
Empresa pública YACHAY EP
36 YACHAY INSIDE