International conference in Varadero sets its sights on innovation

VARADERO, Matanzas, Matanzas, Mar 15 (ACN) Innovation in fields such as governance and tourism hogged the focus of the 2nd International Scientific Event University Society (UniSoc) 2022, to be held in this seaside resort until March 17 with some 700 delegates from nations like Ecuador, Italy, Mexico, Panama and Cuba who are participating either in person or via online to socialize experiences attuned to the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.

Jorge Núñez Jover, chair of the Department of Science, Technology and Society at the University of Havana (UH), gave a keynote lecture on the role of higher education centers in the Cuban governance system in which he stressed the importance of public policies currently promoted by the State to take advantage of its human potential and better train peasants, leaders and workers.

“Universities in Cuba are allocating more money to pay those who use their talent to help solve society's problems, since without knowledge it is impossible to be a sovereign, independent, socialist, democratic and sustainable country,” he said.

During a workshop on innovation and tourism, Ramón Alberto Martín Fernández, professor emeritus of the UH, presented a paper on the immediate prospects of the so-called smokeless industry in Cuba in the new normal.

“The number of inbound visitors was on the rise until 2017, but the figures began to drop since then due to both COVID-19 and the media war waged on us by the United States,” he remarked, citing the example of the non-recognition of the Cuban vaccines. “Although it managed to grow in spite of the U.S. blockade, Cuba's tourism industry must reinvent itself by strengthening the links between state and private actors, make the most of local attractions, and study demand in greater depth.”

High on UniSoc 2022’s agenda are topics such as renewable energy sources, gender and inclusion, food production and preservation of cultural heritage.