From the 2nd to the 4th of December our branch campus in Quito held the 4th International Congress on Smart Technologies, Systems and Applications – SmartTech-IC 2024. Notable researchers, scientists and technicians from leading companies, universities, research groups and government agencies from Latin America and World attended the Congress. 

During the congress, participants presented research results, inventions and innovative applications in the field of intelligent science and the most recent technological trends. The main objective of SmartTech-IC 2024 was to promote the creation of technical and scientific networks, promoting international collaborations for the advancement of technology and knowledge.

There were 5 keynote conferences and around 15 working groups to discuss research on intelligent systems in areas of robotics, education, medicine and more.

 
During the opening speech, Esteban Inga, Head of the Research department, said:  “we are at a new historical turning point: the era of Industry 5.0, where the integration of artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and emerging technologies redefines not only the productive processes, but also our relationship with society and the planet". He stressed the importance of making academic research visible in Ecuador, since "in total, 15 international articles and 51 from Ecuadorian authors were approved, which demonstrates the diversity and global impact of this call.”

 
Researchers from different countries such as Colombia, Brazil, Argentina and Cuba attended the Congress. Alberto López, Teodiano Freire, Mario Aguilar, Pablo Paredes and Rafael Parra, shared their experiences and research results in areas such as educational innovation, technological development, sustainability and international cooperation.

During the closing ceremony of the congress, María Sol Villagómez, vice president of our branch campus in Quito, spoke about the importance of having technological infrastructure to promote scientific initiatives and innovative proposals, she also said that “future experiences are built in these events.”