Twenty years of Ibero American Science and Education Consortium (ISTEC): Past, Present and Future of a Collaborative Work

Abstract

The Ibero-American Science and Technology Education Consortium (ISTEC) is a non-profit organization comprised of educational, research, industrial, and multilateral organizations throughout the Americas and the Iberian Peninsula. The Consortium has been established to foster scientific, engineering, and technology education, joint international research and development efforts among its members, and to provide a cost-effective vehicle for the application and transfer of technology. In mid 1990 personnel from the University of New Mexico visited countries in Latin America to identify and evaluate opportunities for successful collaboration in science, technology and education. Meetings were held with officials from various governments, educational institutions, research facilities, and industrial firms to gage interest in establishing efforts for international cooperation in technical fields. The meetings resulted in the identification of areas of common interest for employing hands-on education, research, and technology transfer in state-of-the-art technology and science. As a result of these visits, an organizational meeting was held in December of 1990, at the University of New Mexico, involving personnel from universities, industries, governments, and foundations throughout Ibero-America. These discussions resulted in the creation of the ISTEC.