Alumni Spotlight - Jaime Acevedo
Nuevo Leon, Mexico Nanotechnology Cluster

As part of the State of Nuevo Leon Innovation System, the Nuevo Leon Nanotechnology Cluster is a key initiative for increasing overall state competitiveness and promoting the adoption of nanotechnology amongst its multiple industrial platforms, mainly in Monterrey. Nanotechnology is simply the next industrial revolution impacting every element of human life. The role of clusters in explaining regional economic performance has been confirmed in several studies (Porter, 2003). Clusters provide an environment that is conducive to innovation and knowledge creation. Regions with strong cluster portfolios are innovative leaders, while regions with no clusters or isolated research facilities fall behind. Globalization has increased the benefits of strong clusters and raised the costs for regions which fail to develop some level of clustering.

Clustering as an economic development policy is driven by efficiency advantages (lowered costs, including transaction costs), flexibility advantages (high mobility of labor and other resources) and innovation advantages (knowledge spillovers and cooperation). Clusters increase productivity/efficiency, stimulate and enable innovations and facilitate commercialization and new business formation. The other seven clusters (including biotech, aerospace, automotive, information technology, and medical devices) and the Parque de Investigación e Innovación Tecnológica (PIIT) – described in a recent Business Week edition focused on research parks – also comprise the state transition from “manufacturing” to “mindfacturing,” attracting many international corporations and research units in the process, including a branch of the renowned IC² Institute from The University of Texas at Austin.

Jaime Acevedo graduated from the MSTC Program in 2007 and was appointed executive director of the State of Nuevo Leon Nanotechnology Cluster in May 2009. The cluster already includes several member corporations, three national research labs, two large research universities, government entities focused on innovation, technology transfer and economic development and the first nanotechnology incubator in Mexico. The incubator has five technology platforms which will be producing and functionalizing nanoparticles and nanotubes in about 10 months. “We are running very fast and are in the process of developing a new generation of businesses and entrepreneurs to produce and commercialize nanotechnology solutions globally," Acevedo reports.  For more information on the cluster:  www.clusternano.org or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .