Fundación Vidanta and the Wilson Center Latin American Program convened for the first time in 2017 scholars, professionals, journalists and intellectuals to apply for a research fellowship in public policies on the theme "Promoting Innovation in the Americas".
The focus was on relevant public policy proposals that address key challenges for successful innovation ecosystems in the Americas. In particular, national, state or local public policies to improve innovation ecosystems by developing greater synergies between universities and the private sector, expanding public-private partnerships and generating the human capital and talent necessary for innovation to thrive.
Santiago Gutiérrez was selected as the first fellow of the Vidanta-Wilson Fellowship to carry out his six-month research project focused on innovation and productivity in Latin America, with a particular emphasis on the role of multilatinas. Santiago Gutiérrez has a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Minnesota. He was a journalist in the Andean Region for Debtwire, an affiliate of the Financial Times Group, and director of Dinero.com. He has received several prestigious awards such as the Simón Bolívar National Award for Journalism, the Anif Economic Journalism Award and the Citigroup Journalistic Excellence Award. In addition to his work in journalism, Gutiérrez has served on the boards of several private sector companies in Colombia.