Saborido pointed out that the creation of new learning environments and digital competences is urgently needed in Cuba.
Photo: Marcelino Vázquez
Havana, February 9 (RHC)-- The head of Cuba's Ministry of Higher Education, José Ramón Saborido, said Wednesday that there is a favorable scenario in the country for the insertion of knowledge generated in universities into the productive and service sectors.
During the third day of the XIII International Congress on Higher Education, 'University 2022', Saborido said that there are no major obstacles for the introduction of the results of academia and research centers in the state enterprise and public administration agencies, which for years was a claim of researchers.
"Through the government management system, based on science and innovation, the transformation of education is supported, with repercussions in the strengthening of the interconnection of actors and the improvement of professionals in strategic sectors," said the minister.
In a keynote lecture, he recalled that the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus modified the outline of university processes, and acknowledged the actions of professors and students in confronting COVID-19, from the care of patients and suspects to the execution of innovative projects.
He mentioned the mathematical modeling and artificial intelligence to define the behavior of the disease in the country, and the work of the Chemical Synthesis Laboratory of the University of Havana in the design of the anti-COVID-19 vaccines 'Soberana 02' and 'Soberana Plus'.
Saborido pointed out that university experts have an active participation in the territories, in the implementation of public policies and in the recently constituted National Innovation Council, a space for dialogue and decision-making in the economic and social spheres.
He specified that the challenges of promoting research with cross-cutting and multidisciplinary approaches that contribute to Cuba's digital transformation and the virtualization of its higher education persist.
"There is an urgent need to create new learning environments and digital competencies, in addition to the specialization of professionals in telecommunications, computer science, robotics and data science," he added.
The thirteenth edition of 'Universidad 2022' will continue its sessions until next Friday at the Havana Convention Palace, in hybrid mode, with the participation of representatives from more than 30 countries.
