Sinergia, new space for entrepreneur students

The University of Azuay, UDA, opened yesterday a new department called Sinergia, a space that will host the entrepreneurship projects of the different areas of study that the institution has.

Francisco Salgado, rector of the UDA, stressed that the idea came from the students and that it counted with the advice of university professors and expert professionals in the development of projects.
"It is fundamental to understand that students can stand out with their own initiatives from the classroom and our role as educators is based on going further and getting these projects to become ventures," said Salgado.

Details
Santiago Castillo, president of the Student Federation of the UDA, announced that the goal of the Sinergia department is to bring together various works, which are carried out from the institution within the same ecosystem and provide tools for their development.

"In the data collection conducted, we determined that the 15 percent of the total UDA students are related in some type of entrepreneurship project both within the university and outside it," said Castillo.
Based on these figures, the student representative pointed out that, although there have been events and meetings for this segment of young people, support for them is still limited. "We realized that a chat or an open house is not enough. That is why we open the doors of this space, which will help guide its growth, "he said.

This project has the support of Coworking One that will provide training and advice to those who come to Sinergia. In addition, several professors of the higher institution are part of this new department.

Features
An important characteristic is that within the space communication channels will be created between all the interested parties, that is, an exchange of knowledge to enhance the different areas.
Castillo said that if, for example, a student is developing a business idea, but needs advice on the development of web pages, students who have this knowledge will provide support.

Activities
The first proposal of this department will be a series of 19 training, support and advisory forums.
"We started with more than 40 students who are in charge of 14 projects," added the president of the Student Federation.

He also explained that in the working day, which will be tomorrow, the status of each initiative will be evaluated and based on this they will be advised according to the type of help they need.
Students like Israel Marín, of the Faculty of Design, commented that this space represents, for them, the opportunity to move from the project to the enterprise and establish it as a fixed economic activity.