Through a joint effort between the Office of the President of the Republic and various national institutions, including the Ministry of Industry, Energy, and Mining (MIEM), the Uruguay Innova (U+I) program received its official launch. The ambitious program targets the acceleration of Uruguay’s national innovation ecosystem and seeks to improve its existing research and innovation system through a strategic long-term approach.
MIEM holds a strong belief that science and technology, alongside innovation, serve as vital instruments to improve productivity and competitiveness while acting as essential forces for sustainable and inclusive national development. These are not isolated objectives. These objectives stand as foundational elements of Uruguay’s overarching development vision, which ensures that technological advancement benefits citizens throughout the nation regardless of location.
A Launch Rooted in Strategic Intent
The Uruguay Innova program formally began its operations at the Technological Laboratory of Uruguay’s Innovation Campus on May 21, 2025. The event marked a significant milestone in the nation’s development agenda, gathering a wide array of public officials, academics, industry leaders, and innovators who share a common goal: transforming Uruguay into a regional innovation hub.
Multiple ministries connected to science and innovation sectors provide strong backing to this presidential initiative. The government’s collaborative approach demonstrates its goal to unify efforts and eliminate fragmentation within the innovation ecosystem.
The Ministry of Industry, Energy, and Mining serves as an essential component in the function of this process. The Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining has established a specialized Innovation Policy Unit headed by Gabriela Schroeder to support its broader mission of advancing innovation policy. The unit ensures coordination among government innovation projects while establishing public-private partnerships and creating systems to turn knowledge into real and fair advances.
Public Investment and Inclusive Development
The present administration at MIEM now champions public-sector-driven innovation promotion as its main strategic approach. The potential for economy-wide multiplier effects exists through strategic public investment funneled through Uruguay’s strong network of state-owned enterprises. This initiative stimulates innovative development throughout public organizations and extends to academic institutions alongside startups and established industries.
The government of Uruguay seeks to enhance competitiveness in the country while modernizing public services and improving life quality through strengthened innovation infrastructure. These innovation policies complement MIEM’s other core goals: The government works to create quality jobs while ensuring balanced development across regions. Uruguay Innova functions as both an innovation policy and a broad framework for economic growth that includes social progress and environmental sustainability while building shared prosperity and national resilience.
Presidential Leadership and Multi-Sectoral Support
President Yamandú Orsi led the launch event, while highlighting strategic coherence as essential for science, technology, and innovation policy. He stated in his address that organizing the existing ecosystem while rationalizing efforts remains the primary goal.
Uruguay needs to develop its innovation strategy by integrating existing programs and research efforts. The South American country needs to develop a national innovation strategy that brings together its strengths to become a leader in smart sustainable development. Uruguay needs to maximize existing achievements while embedding them in a Uruguayan-specific framework, which involves optimizing efforts and aligning objectives and methods, he explained.
The event featured MIEM Deputy Minister Eugenia Villar as well as MIEM’s Head of Innovation Gabriela Schroeder, Ministerial Advisor Rossanna González and Technical Coordinator for Innovation Silvana Ravía among other dignitaries. Their attendance demonstrated the essential cross-ministerial collaboration needed to establish Uruguay Innova as a fundamental element of national policy.
Strategic Pillars of Uruguay Innova
Economist Bruno Gili, the program coordinator, explained its structure at the event. Uruguay Innova is built around four central components: knowledge, innovation, internationalization, and regulatory quality. The program’s four pillars are essential to develop Uruguay’s economic model into one that withstands future challenges and centers on knowledge and innovation.
- Knowledge: The program works to boost national research capabilities through partnerships among universities research institutes and the private sector. The initiative aims to grow the number of researchers and create career development options for young scientists.
- Innovation: This core element extends its support from technological inventions to research commercialization and enterprise digital transformation while enabling new business model development. The program encourages entrepreneurship while supporting emerging technological fields like artificial intelligence and biotechnology.
- Internationalization: Uruguay understands that innovation happens through interconnected systems. The program focuses on joining international research networks and becoming part of global value chains while forming strategic partnerships with innovation centers across Latin America, North America, and Europe.
- Regulatory Quality: Successful innovation depends on supportive legal and institutional frameworks. The component brings necessary updates to Uruguay’s regulatory frameworks, which support innovation while maintaining ethical and social protections.
A New Institutional Architecture
During the launch the establishment of the Secretariat for Science and Knowledge Generation was presented as an important institutional advancement. The newly established body will give advice to the Executive Branch while assisting in the creation of a national framework to produce influential research and strengthen the scientific community.
The Secretariat will establish research platforms that tackle Uruguay’s most urgent issues. Key research areas for the Secretariat include artificial intelligence along with life sciences and sustainable food systems plus national security. The Secretariat plans to collaborate with the Ministry of Education and Culture to align Uruguay’s educational framework with the innovation agenda while preparing young scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs.
The framework targets national technological and infrastructure demands to make innovation a consistent element of public policy instead of a fleeting project.
Innovation as a National Imperative
The Secretary of the Presidency Alejandro Sánchez confirmed the administration’s position that innovation serves as a key element for fostering equitable development. According to his remarks the Uruguay Innova initiative was described within the campaign platform presented in Colonia. He made it clear that Uruguay needs to enhance its quality of investment and application for innovation throughout different sectors.
Several scientific, business, and policy leaders joined a panel at the event’s conclusion. Álvaro Brunini led ANII as President. Carlos Batthyány directed the Pasteur Institute as its Executive Director alongside Maia Brenner, who managed Flipzen as Executive Manager. Carmen Rossini researched at the University of the Republic’s Faculty of Chemistry as a leading scientist, and Joaquín Morixe served as Vice President of GlobantX. The conversation revealed how private businesses working together with academic research institutions and governmental policies can create a successful innovation-driven economy.
Broad-Based Support and Vision for the Future
Senior officials such as Vice President Carolina Cosse, OPP Director Rodrigo Arim, and Ministers José Carlos Mahía of Education and Culture, Gabriel Oddone of Economy and Finance, and Edgardo Ortuño of Environment attended the launch event. The attendance of high-level officials at the event highlighted a widespread political and institutional agreement on the objectives of Uruguay Innova.
This consensus is vital. The future competitiveness of Uruguay relies on its power to innovate alongside its ability to integrate innovation into the core of its national identity and social agreements. Uruguay Innova functions as a national project that embodies values of inclusion and sustainability while focusing on excellence beyond its status as a government initiative.
Uruguay has established government support for innovation as its top priority and developed essential institutional frameworks to sustain this approach, which positions the country as a frontrunner in the 21st-century knowledge economy. Through its focus on developing new startups and its collaborations with international research bodies, along with technological improvements to public services, Uruguay Innova stands ready to instigate significant transformation in the South American nation.