ISTEC ANNOUNCES “ICT CHALLENGE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE”

August 13, 2003

ISTEC ANNOUNCES “ICT CHALLENGE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE”

ISTEC has announced the ISTEC / Motorola “ICT Challenge for Social Change,” to help bridge the digital divide in New Mexico and build partnerships for sustainable community development and empowerment through Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). The forum will be held November 6-7 at the University of New Mexico Student Union Building, ballrooms B and C.

The ICT Challenge will launch a statewide strategy for generating and supporting collaborative activities among New Mexico organizations to promote community and rural development through the use of Information and Communication Technologies.

“The action-oriented approach of the ICT Challenge will create synergy needed to make New Mexico a leader in innovative technology applications,” said Ramiro Jordán, ISTEC vice president for Strategy and Planning. “With the help of our community leaders, ICT can significantly improve economic development and quality of life within New Mexico.”

The forum will challenge institutions renowned for technological sophistication to engage in community capacity-building initiatives for the transfer of technology and its related skills to under-served communities. The specific objectives of the ISTEC-Motorola ICT Challenge include outlining how ICT can: democratize natural resource management; enhance community-based planning; broaden micro-enterprise development; and improve education and community access to information.

Representatives from a variety of key New Mexico organizations, including Sandia National Laboratories, Youth Development Inc., Laguna Pueblo, Hispano Chamber of Commerce, UNM Anderson Schools of Management, and the City of Albuquerque – Office of Economic Development, are planning to attend this event to help their communities appropriate the benefits of ICT for their own social, economic, and cultural development.

For more information contact Virginia Bird at vbird@istec.org or by telephone at (505) 277-7974.

About ISTEC...

ISTEC is a non-profit organization comprised of educational, research, industrial, and multilateral organizations throughout the Americas and the Iberian Peninsula. The Consortium has been established to foster scientific, engineering, and technology education, joint international research and development efforts among its members, and to provide a cost-effective vehicle for the application and transfer of technology. ISTEC membership currently includes approximately 100 educational institutions, and over 30 industrial/institutional members in 25 countries. Additional information on ISTEC is available at www.istec.org.

# # #