Caracas, Venezuela — [January 20th, 2026] — The United Nations University Biotechnology Programme for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNU‑BIOLAC) and the Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV) signed a new academic cooperation agreement, strengthening regional collaboration in biotechnology research and training.
The agreement was signed by Dr. Gustavo Fermin, Programme Head of UNU‑BIOLAC, and Dr. María Fátima Garcés Da Silva, Academic Vice‑Rector of UCV. The initiative was brokered by UNU‑BIOLAC in collaboration with Professor Jimmy Castillo, from the School of Chemistry at UCV’s Faculty of Sciences.
This agreement also includes the participation of the Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey (TEC, Mexico) and aims to facilitate academic and scientific exchange between UCV’s School of Chemistry—beginning with Professor Jimmy Castillo’s Chemistry Laboratory—and TEC’s Faculty of Sciences, starting with Dr. Grissel Trujillo’s Álvarez‑Trujillo Laboratory, which specializes in chaotic bioprinting.
The initial connection between the two laboratories, which ultimately led to the signing of this agreement, emerged from the successful internship completed by Dr. Sofía Salazar Bigott, a Venezuelan fellow of UNU‑BIOLAC, in Dr. Trujillo’s laboratory. Her experience demonstrated the strong complementarity of the two research groups’ expertise and capacities, laying the groundwork for sustained collaboration.
Through this agreement, the institutions anticipate a facilitated exchange of researchers, students, and technical personnel between Venezuela and Mexico. This mobility is expected to result in the training of highly skilled professionals for both countries, provide technical support for the development of biotechnological solutions within Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region, and serve as an initial step toward supporting the establishment of a Venezuelan postgraduate program focused on biotechnology.
UNU‑BIOLAC reaffirmed its commitment to fostering regional scientific cooperation and capacity building, emphasizing the importance of strategic partnerships in advancing biotechnology research and innovation across LAC.
