Get ready for a scientific adventure that will ignite your imagination! From September 24 to 26, 2025, the Alma Mater of Cauca, together with other Higher Education Institutions in the region, will open the doors of science to the entire community. Let’s explore together the fascinating world of Research, Development, and Innovation (R+D+i)! This gathering, organized by the Research Board of the Cauca STI Ecosystem, will take place at Parque Francisco José de Caldas (in Popayán) and, in the north, at the Comfacauca Auditorium (Santander de Quilichao), transforming public space into an open laboratory of innovation and academic-social dialogue.

“Science in the Park 2025: Territories Connected by Knowledge and Wisdom” is much more than an event; it is an invitation for our children and youth of Cauca, and all those passionate about learning, to fall in love with science. We want to create a magical space of exchange where science is shared in a fun, accessible, and above all, inspiring way. Here, universities, technology centers, and all who dream of a region that impacts the world positively through science come together!

This meeting, carefully organized by the Research Board of the Cauca STI Ecosystem, will transform Parque Francisco José de Caldas into a giant open-air laboratory; a place where curiosity takes center stage, where knowledge flows freely, and where every corner invites discovery and big dreams.

This scientific festival will be lived intensely between September 24 and 26 in Popayán and Santander de Quilichao. As the result of an alliance between the Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, UNIMAYOR, Universidad del Cauca, Fundación Universitaria de Popayán, Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia – UNAD, Fundación Universitaria María Cano, Uniautónoma del Cauca, SENA Cauca, Universidad Antonio Nariño, Corporación Universitaria Comfacauca, and Universidad Autónoma Indígena Intercultural – UAIIN-CRIC, the space will allow knowledge to reach everyone, connecting academia, the productive sector, and our people. United, with the support of the Government of Cauca and the Municipality of Popayán, we are making the 5th Innovation and Competitiveness Management Meeting (GIC-2025) a reality!

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“This event seeks to foster scientific vocations in students from an early age, both in primary and secondary school, through spaces where they can approach science in a more experiential way. The Research Board of Cauca has made a great effort to bring science into the city, with the intention of involving schools across the department and thus sowing vocations that, in the future, motivate more young people to pursue careers in Basic Sciences, Engineering, and related fields,” said Dr. Francisco Pino, Vice Rector for Research at Universidad del Cauca. We want children and youth, from primary to high school, to experience science in an exciting and close way. We are planting the seeds of scientific vocation in the heart of Cauca.

These kinds of massive gatherings allow us to highlight how Research, Technological Development, and Innovation (R+D+i) processes are essential for the progress and evolution of society. Why? Because they generate discoveries and advances that improve quality of life, drive economic growth, and strengthen competitiveness. However, these processes would not be complete without the social appropriation of knowledge—that is, without results reaching and being understood by the community. For this reason, institutions have the responsibility to promote this appropriation in relevant ways, responding to the needs and realities of the context: our commitment is to make science belong to everyone, connected to our realities and needs.

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Thus, in this great gathering, young talents from our universities’ research seedbeds will share their projects, and our researchers will serve as guides, evaluating and sharing experiences. It will be a space to boost creative minds, showcase brilliant ideas, and weave collaboration networks throughout Cauca. Oh! And the best part: admission is free and certified! In addition, we will reward creativity with recognitions for the best presentations and posters, and we will publish the most outstanding works so they can continue to inspire.

In this way, Universidad del Cauca reaffirms its commitment to transforming lives through science, research, and inter-institutional alliances, thus bringing knowledge closer to the community and opening future paths for new generations. Our goal is clear, and we reiterate it: we dream of many more young people choosing careers in basic sciences, engineering, and related fields—because the future is in their hands and in their curiosity!

If you want to participate, check the agenda HERE. We’ll be waiting for you! Let’s make it a plan right now.

 

Written by: Communications Management Center