The research project 'Consolidation of Knowledge and Technology Transfer Processes for the Production of Biodegradable Materials developed in the Department of Cauca' BIOTRANSFERENCIA, funded by the General System of Royalties (SGR) and executed by the University of Cauca through the research groups CYTBIA and ANTROPOS, was honored at the CIDESCO Awards with the 2023 University Innovation Award in the category of Superior Innovations for Environmental Innovations.

"For me, for the team, and especially for the University, it's a significant recognition of an immense effort by students, professors from the CYTBIA group who have been exploring possibilities for inventing environmentally friendly materials for over 20 years. With the incorporation of the ANTROPOS group, we aim to contribute to the transfer of this knowledge because we are convinced that the University is a driver of regional development and contributes to a better quality of life."

This was expressed by Hugo Portela Guarín, an Anthropology professor and director of the BIOTRANSFERENCIA research project, regarding the recognition they received in the Superior Innovations category during the CIDESCO Awards for University Innovation. The event took place on September 28, 2023, at the Campus of the Central Unit of Valle del Cauca in the city of Tuluá. The research project was awarded in the environmental themes for its technological and social innovation with a positive impact.

The program by the Corporation for the Integration and Development of Higher Education in the South West of Colombia, CIDESCO, seeks to acknowledge innovative university projects that have been implemented in the region, adding value and contributing not only to higher education but also to society at large.

The BIOTRANSFERENCIA research project transfers knowledge and connects yucca producers and processors in the Cauca department to strengthen yucca planting and the quality of the starch extraction process. This will eventually ensure a raw material guarantee for the large-scale production of biodegradable materials conceived by researchers from the University of Cauca's Faculty of Agricultural Sciences.

Throughout this year, the project team has traveled to various territories and invited producers to visit the University of Cauca's facilities, educating them about seed multiplication through axillary buds, pest control, diseases, and fertilization. This knowledge is imparted in partnership with Corporación Clayuca, an organization specialized in yucca cultivation in Colombia. Simultaneously, they continue their visits to yucca milling plants in the Cauca department, where the transformation process into starch and flour occurs—products intended for human and animal consumption.

Professor Héctor Samuel Villada Castillo, Co-director of the BIOTRANSFERENCIA research project and current director of the CYTBIA research group, expressed his gratitude to his team and highlighted the cooperation and connection that can be generated in these spaces with local, departmental, national, and even international stakeholders.

"These recognitions we receive show all the group members that our efforts are being acknowledged externally for what we are achieving in our development. More than the award, it's about how the developments of each institution participating can be strengthened through these connections. The University of Cauca has enormous potential to transfer knowledge, technology, and innovation, and it's crucial for others to see that the university can assist in this path of environmental responsibility," concluded Professor Héctor Samuel Villada Castillo.