The first ASPIRE Research and Innovation Symposium took place on November 20, 2023, in the “Fanny de Estrada” auditorium at AGEXPORT. During this event, researchers, professors and students associated with the ASPIRE project from Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG), presented the progress and results of their research to the public.

The event was divided into three parts: 1. Presentations on the progress of three of ASPIRE’s collaborative research projects, 2. A discussion with different participants about their experiences in the development of multidisciplinary and multi sector research projects, and 3. Presentations of student-developed projects.

Conversation “Experiences in the development of multidisciplinary and multisectoral research projects”. Photo: UVG.

The three collaborative research projects are part of a series of research projects funded by the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, the donor for the ASPIRE Project. Adilia Blandón, ASPIRE researcher, began the Symposium with her presentation on the project titled “Development of training tools for post-harvest avocado (Persea Americana Mill) “Haas” varieties,” which is being implemented in collaboration with groups of producers, exporters and extension workers from the Directorate of Strengthening Productive Organization and Marketing (DIFOPROCO), of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (MAGA).

Next, the project “Prevention and treatment of post-harvest losses of snow peas and sweet peas in Chimaltenango and Sacatepéquez” was presented by Ana Silvia Colmenares. This project aims to identify and prevent the causes of damage to peas in the post-harvest stage, and assess options  to make better use of products that are damaged and do not meet export standards.

Isabella Maldonado, UVG ​​student, presents the results of her project for Atkinson’s Candy Company.

Andrés Viau, principal investigator for the project “Mobile laboratory for the extraction of essential oils from Chaquijyá, Sololá” then shared progress on their project being developed with the essential oils industry and two associations of local producers from Sololá, Ijat’z and Inoc.

In the second part of the event, a discussion titled “Experiences in the development of multidisciplinary and multisectoral research projects” was held with the participation of Elizabeth Saloj from the Ijat’z Association, Otto Sierra from DIFROPROCO of the MAGA, Víctor Yaxón from the Inoc Association, Jorge Mazariegos of APAESA, UVG ​​researcher Ana Alicia Paz, and Fernando Cifuentes from Atkinson’s Candy Company of Guatemala. The panelists shared their motivations and experiences as participants in the ASPIRE Project’s activities, concluding that the collaboration between different industry and academic individuals and organizations has been a very positive experience. In addition to valuable lessons learned, the collaboration has generated valuable opportunities for knowledge exchange. Panelists expressed their gratitude for being part of this innovative research, which can contribute to the development of the country, and reaffirmed their interest in continuing to strengthen these alliances.

Carmen Torón, UVG ​​student, presents her project for the company ANZUFOR. Photo: UVG.

Finally, nine UVG students presented their experiences in three class research projects and two research assistantships. Funding for these projects was also provided by USAID. The three class research projects included: 1. Botany 2; 2. Community Psychology; and 3. Calculus 2 and Software Engineering (Campus Altiplano). One of the two research assistantships was carried out by the Food Business & Marketing student, Isabella Maldonado, who developed new food products for Atkinson’s Candy Company. The second research assistantship was done by Carmen Torón, a product design and innovation student, who highlighted her work to develop prototypes of innovative products for kitchen and decoration, made from surplus wood from the ANZUFOR company.

The Research and Innovation Symposium shows the commitment of the ASPIRE project to carry out innovative, investigative work, benefitting the participants’ immediate community, and thus Guatemala’s interconnected industry and economy. We thank all the researchers, professors and students of UVG and members of AGEXPORT who have collaborated to make these projects and this event a success.

About ASPIRE

The Achieving Sustainable Partnerships for Innovation, Research and Entrepreneurship (ASPIRE) Project is a five year, $15 million project funded by USAID and implemented by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG), and the Guatemalan Exporters Association (AGEXPORT) with the goal of creating a world-class, replicable model for how Latin American universities, in collaboration with the private sector, government and local communities, can respond to local and regional development needs. The project implements a collaborative approach based on MIT´s experience in the innovation ecosystem.