Tecnológico de Monterrey laid the first stone of what will be its Eduardo Garza T. Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub. This space is designed to connect academic talent, startups and investors in order to promote entrepreneurship in the region.
This building, which is expected to be ready by 2026, is located within the facilities of the Monterrey campus but is not for the exclusive use of students and graduates of the institution, but will be open to the public as part of the space called the Monterrey Innovation District, where creativity, knowledge and collaboration in various disciplines are promoted, with a focus on innovation, research and technology-based entrepreneurship.
According to Juan Pablo Murra, rector of Tec de Monterrey, the objective is the collaboration of different actors from academia and the business field inside and outside Nuevo León.
“If we do things alone they can be good, but the impact grows exponentially if you do it by collaborating with other people and especially people who are different from you and who complement you,” he shared exclusively with Expansión.
These types of efforts, said Murra, complement other collaborations that the Tec has with other institutions such as the Autonomous University of Nuevo León, the Autonomous University of Querétaro, UNAM and the IPN.
The hub will extend over an area of 8,300 square meters and will have two laboratories: one for physical and digital prototypes, and another for biotechnology projects, in addition to two hangars of more than 600 square meters.
It will also have 18 startup garages that serve as inspiration spaces for growing companies; a main room with capacity for more than 200 people for events and conferences; a 600-square-meter coworking space; a social terrace to promote well-being and connection between users; an experimental gallery and a food market.
“We aspire for this center to be not only a beacon of innovation, but also the origin of the next unicorns that will transform the country. “We are committed to making it shine, attract talent and generate real impact to contribute to a more prosperous country,” said David Garza, CEO of Tecnológico de Monterrey.
In its first five years of activity, the hub aims to generate more than 1,000 direct jobs and plans to directly impact more than 100 startups a year at different stages of maturity.
Murra added that they are convinced that education and entrepreneurship are fundamental for the development of Mexico and they want the hub to be a space where innovation is understood as something that creates value for society and not just as something new.
Within the Innovation District there is already Expedition Femsa, a center that has meeting rooms, specialized laboratories and the only Science Gallery, of the global Science Gallery Network, in Latin America.
Mario Adrián Flores, vice president of Monterrey and general director of Campus Monterrey told Expansión that these types of initiatives are fundamental for urban regeneration, attracting and retaining talent.
“The Expedition and the hub are the engines of the generation of knowledge applied to the market” but also the solution to other problems, he said. “Now that this challenge comes with the United States government (referring to the tariff threat) then with greater reason” there should be these initiatives, he commented.
He added that although the relationship between Mexico and the United States is favorable in many aspects and it is correct that it exists due to globalization, there are ecosystems such as the technological one, the development of medicines and microprocessors in which the dependence is greater and leaves us in a state of vulnerability, when the talent to cover these sectors exists in Mexico but requires spaces that promote them.
“If we create a path using this great talent, we can also be protagonists of scientific and technological development in the world and have more support for negotiations and to a certain extent depend less (…) and not be in such a weak position,” he commented.
The academic institution plans to replicate the Innovation District model in other campuses such as in Mexico City
Source: expansion
