A nitrogen-powered car or a minimally invasive dialysis system to treat kidney failure in patients are part of the projects being showcased by dozens of scientists and businessmen in the courtyard of the Morelos Convention Center. The Mexican government on Thursday brought together innovators and investors interested in projects at the Science and Technology in Society Forum (STS Forum) and Latin America’s Innova Fest. This call attempts to solve one of the fundamental problems facing Mexico: that technological innovations do not remain in laboratories as experiments, but rather reach the streets and reach citizens.
The Minister of the Economy, Marcelo Ebrard, realized that in order for new projects in the field of science and technology to reach the market, it is necessary for the government and entrepreneurs to bet and risk their investments in them. “Our country has a problem of not having risk funds,” he explains. Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration was encouraged to take the first step, and Ebrard announced that in 2026 Mexico would provide 1.6 billion pesos (about $88 million) to fund scientific projects. Waiting for the private sector to take over and give impetus to the country’s innovation complex. “Projects that have or generate a public benefit will receive funding,” he says.
The Mexican government’s commitment is precisely to encourage ideas that support the common good. The Minister of Science and Technology, Rosaura Ruiz, has focused her attention on health-related projects and all those options to improve the life expectancy of Mexicans. “The digital divide separates those who have access to technology from those who remain excluded. When technology gaps are not addressed, inequality widens,” he commented. “For science to matter, it must impact the general population,” Health Minister David Kirschenobic added.
The STS Forum also brought together the founders of… Start-upsEntrepreneurs and thinkers of the global technological future. “Our northern neighbor is closing its borders,” Ebrard commented. “What Mexico wants is to open its doors to outstanding minds in science and technology so they can tell us what is to come.” The talks covered a range of topics ranging from electric mobility, aeronautics, genomics, and more.
Mexico is going through a complex moment as its economic growth is stagnating, mainly due to declining investment due to global uncertainty and geopolitical rearrangements. The latest available data indicate that the decline in economic activity is concentrated in industry, mainly in the manufacturing, energy and infrastructure sectors. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has devoted the past few weeks to designing strategies that will boost investment in the country. The president even invited CEOs of transnational corporations to undertake projects related to new technologies such as artificial intelligence and information storage in data centers.
Mexico is known around the world for its enthusiasm for inventing new technologies: research centers – generally associated with universities or government institutions – day after day announce innovative projects that ultimately fail to make the leap from laboratory to industrial production. The transformation in the history of research and development in the Latin American country appears complex. Sheinbaum, a professional energy scientist, has backed government funding while waiting for private investment to come on board.
The format of the STS Forum, as a meeting point between inventors and investors, was designed by Japan at the beginning of the 21st century. The meeting in Morelos was attended by an important delegation from this country, a leader in technological development. Ebrard even referred to the relationship between the two countries before diplomacy existed between them: in 1874, when Mexican scientist Francisco Díaz Covarrubias traveled to Japan with the Mexican Astronomical Commission to observe the transit of Venus across the solar disk from the Far East. “It is the only foreign relationship organized by Mexico for scientific reasons and good faith,” the Economy Minister said.