As part of the activities leading up to the Congress, representatives of companies and organizations linked to the energy sector toured this scientific, technological, and innovation complex of the Universidad Industrial de Santander.
The Guatiguará Technology Park (PTG) of the Universidad Industrial de Santander (UIS) welcomed participants of the XIII Congress on Oil, Gas and Energy, who took part in a technical visit to learn firsthand about the scientific, technological, innovation, and entrepreneurship capabilities that the University has developed at this complex in Piedecuesta, Santander.
The event took place as a prelude to the Congress, which will be held in Bucaramanga from September 22 to 24, and gave representatives of companies and organizations in the sector an opportunity to learn about the facilities, services, and capabilities that UIS offers to industry for the development of research, innovation, and technological solutions.
“It is truly a pleasure for the University and the Vice-Rectorate for Research and Outreach to welcome all these friends from the oil industry today at the UIS Guatiguará campus. We are very pleased because this is a great opportunity for these companies to learn firsthand how the institution is organized and, additionally, what scientific and technological, innovation, and entrepreneurship capabilities we have,” said Cristián Blanco Tirado, UIS Vice-Rector for Research and Outreach.
Throughout the day, visitors toured different areas of the Guatiguará Technology Park and learned about part of the infrastructure that the University uses to conduct research and provide specialized services to different productive sectors.
A scientific complex serving industry
The Guatiguará Technology Park is one of UIS’s main research and innovation facilities. It brings together research groups, specialized laboratories, technology development centers, and business research and development units.
Its capabilities are organized around strategic areas such as energy resources, materials, biotechnology and agroindustry, and information and communication technologies, enabling the University to address different industry needs through applied research, technological development, and knowledge transfer.
For Emiliano Ariza León, Director of the UIS School of Petroleum Engineering, the visit represents an opportunity to bring the University’s capabilities closer to the companies participating in the Congress.
“We considered it very important for them to come to our Guatiguará Technology Park, where all this research is carried out and where services are also provided to industry, so that participating companies can learn firsthand about our services, everything we can do to support them, and how we can become a source of support for the future of the industry and the technological development that we all seek,” he said.
The Director of the School of Petroleum Engineering also explained that holding the Congress in Bucaramanga for the first time made it possible to strengthen the connection between the event and the scientific capabilities available in the region.
“This is the first time that the Colombian Petroleum Congress has been held in Bucaramanga. As the Universidad Industrial de Santander, which is an academic and research hub in a region with a strong energy sector, we were able to work with ACIPET so that we could host the business exhibition,” he said.
A visit aimed at creating new connections
One of the objectives of the event was to establish a direct connection between UIS capabilities and the needs of participating companies. Therefore, the tour went beyond presenting infrastructure and provided an opportunity to identify potential areas for collaboration and engagement between the University and the productive sector.
“We are going to be working with them throughout the day, showing them the capabilities we have and holding initial meetings so that, hopefully, this can eventually turn into business opportunities in which the University places all its talent, technology, and infrastructure at the service of the productive sector in the region and the country,” added Vice-Rector Cristián Blanco Tirado.
The value of this approach was also highlighted by the industry association. Óscar Fernández Rincón, Executive Director of ACIPET, explained that the visit is part of the activities leading up to the Congress and provides an opportunity to showcase the University’s capabilities to industry representatives.
“As a prelude to the Congress, which begins tomorrow, today we are visiting the Guatiguará Technology Park of the Universidad Industrial de Santander. This is a space that is open not only to Congress visitors, but to industry in general,” he said.
The ACIPET representative also emphasized that companies are interested in finding capabilities that can help address their needs: “Today, the industry is learning about all the capabilities that UIS and the Guatiguará Technology Park have to offer services that go beyond the laboratory and seek solutions.”
Research and new technologies to address industry challenges
The visit also highlighted the role of research and the development of new technologies in responding to the challenges faced by the productive sector.
For Diana Carolina González, a participant in the event, the meeting represents an opportunity to strengthen the connection between research and industry.
“It is a very important visit that contributes greatly, through research, to all the companies in the region. It has also been very important for the companies participating in this event, with the development of new technologies that make it possible to move forward and reach new solutions required by industry,” she said.
Specialized laboratories at the Guatiguará Technology Park focus on areas such as petroleum geochemistry, petrophysical analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance, microscopy, X-ray diffraction, mass spectrometry, spectroscopy, surface science, tomography, and high-performance computing.
Among the organizations based at the complex are the National Core Repository of the Colombian Geological Service, the Corporation for Corrosion Research (CIC), and the Gas Technology Development Center (CDT del Gas), which complement the scientific and technological capabilities available at the site.
Through this technical visit, participants of the XIII Congress on Oil, Gas and Energy gained firsthand insight into a space where research, education, scientific infrastructure, innovation, technology transfer, and the productive sector come together to generate knowledge and develop solutions.
Through this meeting, UIS strengthens its relationship with stakeholders in the energy industry and opens new opportunities for cooperation based on the capabilities the University has developed at the Guatiguará Technology Park.
