Before the Academic Council of the Industrial University of Santander (UIS), the Research and Extension Operating Committee (COIE) presented the 2026 Research and Extension Strengthening Plan, a strategy aimed at increasing the likelihood of funding for research projects, strengthening university extension, and bringing knowledge closer to society.
Luz Marina Ballesteros Rueda, Director of Research and Extension at the Faculty of Physical-Chemical Engineering, explained that the plan responds to a clear institutional purpose: “to continue evaluating and joining forces to meet our institutional challenge, which is to bring research closer to society.”
The Strengthening Plan will maintain the five strategic axes developed in previous years: “We will have the same five axes of action as last year, reinforcing seedbeds, support for research groups, and research calls linked to our Mission 6.0, that is, the strengthening of the five agendas.”
In terms of outreach, the plan envisages more coordinated work with the productive sector and society. In this regard, the director pointed out that “at VIE, what we want in terms of outreach is to reach society, to reach entrepreneurs; there is a specific call for proposals where we want a business partner to come and work with us,” with the aim of “increasing the visibility of what we do in research.”
One of the key points of the plan for 2026 is to strengthen research seedbeds, especially to encourage the participation of young people. “This year, support for research groups comes with a slightly larger amount of resources so that we can motivate these young people, encourage them to pursue scientific careers, and foster their interest in STEM,” explained Ballesteros, adding that “starting this semester, research groups will be registered as an academic credit for students.”
The resources allocated to the Strengthening Plan come from the ProUIS stamp and will be focused exclusively on research and outreach activities. “These resources come from the ProUIS stamp, which means that everything has to be focused on research, on making visible what we do to contribute to our society,” said the director.
Once the 2026 Research and Outreach Strengthening Plan is officially launched, the document will include the terms of reference for each call for proposals, so that students, professors, and external partners can get involved in the research initiatives led by the UIS.
