The Technological Institute of Higher Studies of Monterrey (ITESM) inaugurated in May an innovation hub in the Chinese city of Hangzhou, in the province of Zhejiang.
This center is the result of a Mexico-China alliance involving the government of the Jianggang district that has jurisdiction over Hangzhou.
Why a hub in Hangzhou?
Hangzhou is the capital and most populous city of the province of Zhejiang, with more than 21 million inhabitants in the metropolitan area. It also stands out as an emerging tech hub and Alibaba’s home, the Chinese giant of e-commerce.
Since March 1991, the Hangzhou High-Tech Zone (HHTZ) was established, which by 2013 housed more than 1,100 software development and BPO companies.
The establishment of the innovation hub in this city responds to a strategy of linking with thriving ecosystems in the world. Tec of Monterrey chose China because this country has placed science and technology as one of the main catalysts of its economy.
The creation of this hub also responds to the strategy of the three “I” of the Tec: innovation, investigation, and internationalization.
With this IHub Tec-China, ITESM aims to create business opportunities with the exchange of talent and the acceleration of startups.
David Garza, the rector of Tec de Monterrey, said: “We have taken a big step that will promote innovation and entrepreneurship among our professors and academics in that country, to generate interesting projects for the benefit of Mexico and China.”
Students and researchers of ITESM will be able to promote their projects with stays in this space of 1,000 m2 with the capacity to expand another 4,000 m2 more. The site also has collaborative workrooms, meeting spaces, startups area, as well as a ShowRoom, according to Tec Review.