CONACYT National Council of Science and Technology

1. CONACYTNational Council of Science and Technology

2. Institutional Commitment • CONACYT, was founded on December 1970 as the organism responsible for the nation’s scientific and technological policies. • It has undertaken several actions to increase the level of science and technology investments • Those actions include: • The formation of high qualified human resources, • The promotion of scientific research • The promotion of technological development and innovation

3. National System of Science and Technology The 2002 Science & Technology Law provided the groundwork to strengthen the National System of Science and Technology through a network of agencies interacting with CONACyT. Following is a representation of how key agencies interact in the development of scientific and technological activities. National System of Science and Technology General Council of Scientific Research and Tech. Development Governing Body Consulting S&T Forum National S&T Conference Governments / Int’l Organizations State Councils Inter-Ministries Committee Institutional Fund JointFunds Sectoral funds State Governments Federal Ministries Public Research Centers Universities Companies Scientists Technologists Students

4. Public Research Centers Social and Humanities Sciences 31 Exact y Natural Sciences 24 Technological Development 23 27 Centers 51Campus

5. Public Research Centers Center Area Research Lines • Environmental Science and Engineering • Engineering and manufacturing processes • Ceramic materials and mineral processing • Materials decay and structural integrity • Physics and chemistry of materials EXACT AND NATURAL SCIENCES • Public Administration • Economics • International Studies • Political Studies • History HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES • Alcoholic beverages (production of tequila, mescal and sotol among other) • Food additives • Sugar cane • Horticulture • Milk and dairy products • Food specialties TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT

6. 3 Main Areas • Scientific Research • Technological Transfer • Scholarships CONACYT

7. Scientific Research Examples of activities: • National Researchers’ System • Large Millimeter Telescope (LMT) • Its construction took 10 years and cost 116 million dollars • Its a binational Mexican (70%) – U.S. (30%) joint project of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and the National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics (INAOE

8. National Researchers’ System • The National Researchers’ System was created in 1984; • The purpose was to reward scientific and technological research labor. This was a time of serious economic trouble that was causing massive brain drain; • Has established an evaluation system with high quality standards; • Has contributed to retain high quality researchers at their institutions; • Is used to assess the potential of institutions to do research; • It has become a major information system on scientific and technological production; • It is a recognition of academic prestige, allowing access to other labor benefits; Near future… • Nominating Mexican researchers abroad, without the stipends

9. In April 2008, the NRS had 14,672 members. National Researchers’ System

10. Technological Transfer

11. Technological Transfer • Last Mile: Created to support businesses starting from the concept that mature scientific and technological developments can turn out to be a profitable investment. • Tax incentives: Promote investment in the development of technology owned by each individual company to develop new products, manufacturing processes, materials and services with substantial innovations. • Incorporating Researches into Private Industry (IDEA): Supports the professionals’ incorporation in Mexican companies with M.D. and PhD’s. It offers contributions up to 50% of the salary offered by the company during the first year of labor. • Warrantee Fund for Technological Development: This Fund has a total amount of $300 million pesos to support companies that develop new products, processes and services, as well as new lines of businesses based on scientific and technological knowledge.

12. Scholarships

13. Scholarships • National: Train human high-level resources in the programs of the PNPC. • Forein: Train human high-level resources in the programs abroad, with criteria of academic quality. • Mixed:Academic stay for national scholar in forein universities. • Post - doc and Sabbathical: Promote the mobility of professors and researchers (most of them in the PNPC programs) with an especific work program.

14. Program for the Strengthening of National Quality Graduate Studies (PNPC) In 2007 the “Program for the Strengthening of National Quality Graduate Studies (PNPC)”, established a new and flexible model for the evaluation of graduate studies, based mainly in the results and a prospective vision of such studies.

15. PNPC PNPC and Scholarships CONACYT PNPC CONACYT Scholarships Programs Accepted Accepted Students University Applications to PNPC Students applications for scholarships

16. PNPC 2008 SONORA (27) Total: 1072 CHIHUAHUA (22) COAHUILA (32 ) BAJA CALIFORNIA (55) NUEVO LEÓN (76) TAMAULIPAS (12) BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR (7) SAN LUIS POTOSÍ (42 ) SINALOA (10) GUANAJUATO (43) DURANGO (4) YUCATAN (27) QUERÉTARO (20) ZACATECAS (5) NAYARIT (1) HIDALGO (11) AGUASCALIENTES (8) VERACRUZ (36) QUINTANA ROO (2) JALISCO (67) COLIMA (10) MICHOACÁN (37) CAMPECHE (0) ESTADO DE MÉXICO (74) D. F. (334) TABASCO (3) MORELOS (20) PUEBLA (65) CHIAPAS (5) GUERRERO (2) TLAXCALA (6) OAXACA (9)

17. Becas al Extranjero • The porpuse of CONACYT international agreements on international cooperation is to • We are forming a set of international Universities to support CONACYT Students (Like in the PNPC for national students)

18. Clemson-CONACYT Agreement • Students from Clemson are eligibles to attend graduate studies in Mexico with the CONACYT Scholarships

19. Scholarships CONACYT scholarships by country and degree Source: CONACyT

20. Universities Agreements