Missed opportunities in Yachay

To understand why Yachay Tech University has been unsuccessful as a world-class public research institution ([ 1 ][1]), we must first analyze why and how it was created. From the beginning, it was isolated from the rest of the Ecuadorian universities and plagued by politics, while its legitimate academic purpose was neglected. An exhaustive analysis by Arturo Villavicencio in 2014 ([ 2 ][2]) predicted the incongruences of creating a technological hub that was isolated from the real technological needs in Ecuador and guided by foreign scientists with little to no understanding of the political and scientific reality of the country. Villavicencio criticized the proposed research scheme, in which basic science was expected to swiftly translate into applied science in order to develop a knowledge-based economy. This bench-to-market idea was one of the major political points in ex-president Rafael Correa's “citizen revolution” and was proposed to reinvigorate Ecuador's economy ([ 3 ][3]). An editorial note in Diario HOY , one of the main Ecuadorian newspapers, warned in 2014 that using promises of economic development based on advancements in science and technology was merely a political tool that disregarded the realities of the Ecuadorian society ([ 4 ][4]). Yachay EP, the public company that was created to develop the “city of knowledge” in Urcuqui, where Yachay University is located, has been plagued with accusations of corruption, overpaid administrators who live overseas, unfinished or malfunctioning buildings, and announcements of international investments that never existed ([ 5 ][5], [ 6 ][6]). The Ecuadorian attempt at creating a state-of-the-art research institution has not only failed its citizens but also tainted legitimate efforts by Ecuadorian scientists who have fought for years to do research in the country. As a young Ecuadorian-American pharmaceutical scientist, I know the immense potential that biological and ecological resources have in numerous research fields. Yachay's lost opportunity disheartens me, as it will take years to rebuild trust within the scientific community in Ecuador and abroad. The potential to become a world-class research institution continues to be overshadowed by political perils, despite Yachay's current administration's best-intentioned efforts (“Yachay's promise,” C. Castillo-Chavez et al. , Letters, 1 September, p. 881). An effort of this magnitude cannot be built in isolation and needs strategic advice from scientists who have experience navigating Ecuador's political arena. 1. [↵][7]1. E. Rodriguez-Mega , Science 357, 340 (2017). [OpenUrl][8][Abstract/FREE Full Text][9] 2. [↵][10]1. A. Villavicencio , Innovacion, Matriz Productiva y Universidad: Por Que Yachay Es una Estrategia Equivocada, (Corporacion Editorial Nacional, Quito, 2014), vol. 8 [in Spanish]. 3. [↵][11]1. R. Correa Delgado , Plan Nacional de Desarrollo/Plan Nacional para el Buen Vivir 2013-2017 (Secretaria Nacional de Planificacion y Desarrollo, Quito, Ecuador, 2013) [in Spanish]. 4. [↵][12]1. F. Burbano , Yachay o el vuelo de los brujos, Diario HOY (17 June 2014) [in Spanish]. 5. [↵][13]1. M Gomez-Lecaro , iAyachay!, El Universo (2017); [www.eluniverso.com/opinion/2017/09/18/nota/6387295/ayachay][14] [in Spanish]. 6. [↵][15]1. F. Burbano-de-Lara , Yachay: El delirio de los brujos, El Universo (2017); [www.eluniverso.com/opinion/2017/09/19/nota/6389095/yachay-delirio-brujos][16] [in Spanish]. [1]: #ref-1 [2]: #ref-2 [3]: #ref-3 [4]: #ref-4 [5]: #ref-5 [6]: #ref-6 [7]: #xref-ref-1-1 "View reference 1 in text" [8]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DScience%26rft.stitle%253DScience%26rft.aulast%253DMega%26rft.auinit1%253DE.%2BR.%26rft.volume%253D357%26rft.issue%253D6349%26rft.spage%253D340%26rft.epage%253D341%26rft.atitle%253DTurmoil%2Bimperils%2Bresearch%2Buniversity%2Bin%2BAndes%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1126%252Fscience.357.6349.340%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F28751586%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [9]: /lookup/ijlink/YTozOntzOjQ6InBhdGgiO3M6MTQ6Ii9sb29rdXAvaWpsaW5rIjtzOjU6InF1ZXJ5IjthOjQ6e3M6ODoibGlua1R5cGUiO3M6NDoiQUJTVCI7czoxMToiam91cm5hbENvZGUiO3M6Mzoic2NpIjtzOjU6InJlc2lkIjtzOjEyOiIzNTcvNjM0OS8zNDAiO3M6NDoiYXRvbSI7czoyMjoiL3NjaS8zNTgvNjM2Mi80NTkuYXRvbSI7fXM6ODoiZnJhZ21lbnQiO3M6MDoiIjt9 [10]: #xref-ref-2-1 "View reference 2 in text" [11]: #xref-ref-3-1 "View reference 3 in text" [12]: #xref-ref-4-1 "View reference 4 in text" [13]: #xref-ref-5-1 "View reference 5 in text" [14]: http://www.eluniverso.com/opinion/2017/09/18/nota/6387295/ayachay [15]: #xref-ref-6-1 "View reference 6 in text" [16]: http://www.eluniverso.com/opinion/2017/09/19/nota/6389095/yachay-delirio-brujos