With the aim of generating a research and extension alliance that puts knowledge at the service of the welfare of entrepreneurs and citizens of Santander, a meeting was held between the innovation team of the Bucaramanga regional Bank of the Republic and members of the Creative Intelligence Laboratory, Semiosis Lab, attached to the School of Industrial and Business Studies of the UIS.

“The purpose of this space is to strengthen our relationship to impact the competitiveness of the region of Santander, therefore, for us as an innovation laboratory, Semiosis Lab of the Industrial University of Santander, after 10 years of research we want to democratize the methodology we have created for innovation so that it can guide the processes of evolution in this case, of the Bank of the Republic” said Edna Bravo, UIS professor and director of Semiosis Lab.

In these first steps taken with this meeting, the academy also seeks to join these challenges and to be able to transfer to students the possibility that classes are really a learning laboratory where they have challenges, addressing the methodologies and at the same time contributing to the impact on competitiveness and above all to the social and economic welfare of the region. “So this type of alliances allow us to transfer what we know, we know the data that Banco de la República has available; we are starting this relationship, we know that it is long term and it will be based on trust. The Universidad Industrial de Santander has the purpose of democratizing this knowledge so that it can be used for the well-being of the people of Santander” added Professor Bravo.

For his part, Luis Fernando Blanco Restrepo, regional manager Bucaramanga of Banco de la República, said “in the interaction with the team we identified opportunities on the one hand to insert ourselves in a path of innovation that we have been working with our own resources and some guidelines that our institution gives us but we feel the need to do it in the environment that is Bucaramanga and Santander. There is a very interesting and important path developed by the UIS and Semiosis Lab, we believe that there is a great relationship with the actors who are interested in creating and making Santander a more thriving region and this is accompanied by an exercise of innovation, strengthening cash flows, improving welfare in the society in which we are and greater competitiveness”.

Likewise, “as Banco de la República, the Central Bank of Colombia, we also have a particular interest in strengthening our processes, making important organizations that allow us to achieve publications and relevant information for both businessmen and our bosses in Bogota with greater opportunity, supported by technology so that it means less costs, we believe that our team of young economists are up to the challenge and we have all that disposition; with the support that Semiosis Lab has offered us we believe that we can start working on these challenges as a starting point and see how things develop” said Blanco Restrepo.