Ruta N Corporation and Medellín’s leading higher education institutions —Universidad de Medellín, Universidad EIA, Universidad EAFIT, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Universidad Nacional de Colombia Medellín campus, Universidad de Antioquia, Universidad CES, and ITM— have launched the G8+ Joint Call, an initiative aimed at investing in research, development, and innovation (R&D&I) projects that address the city’s most pressing challenges. With a total fund of COP $4.8 billion, this initiative seeks to support between 4 and 9 projects with technology readiness levels (TRL) ranging from 2 to 5, taking them from concept formulation to prototype validation in relevant environments.
Beyond funding, the call promotes collaboration between universities, companies, public entities, social organizations, and communities, encouraging interdisciplinary proposals that integrate academic, scientific, and productive capacities. The goal is clear: to generate verifiable and sustainable solutions for challenges such as transportation and mobility, public services, digital transformation in productive sectors, education and culture, health, environmental and agro-environmental issues, infrastructure, and circular economy.
At the end of the process, each initiative must deliver outcomes that strengthen the city’s science, technology, and innovation ecosystem: new knowledge, technological development and innovation, social appropriation of knowledge, public science outreach, and human talent training. These deliverables ensure that the knowledge generated does not remain confined to academia but is transferred and benefits society.
With this call, Ruta N and the G8+ universities reaffirm their commitment to making Medellín a leader in innovation. By supporting collaborative and high-impact projects, the city advances toward solutions that not only improve the quality of life of its inhabitants but also boost its competitiveness in the knowledge economy.
To learn more about the selection criteria and process, please visit the application page below.👇
Learn more HERE.
