Generales

UdeA Ph.D. candidate Ana María Henao was recognized for her work in the Leaders in Innovation Fellowships (LIF) program, an initiative led by the Royal Academy of Engineering which aims to build the capacity of researchers for entrepreneurship and commercialization of their research.

Photo: Members of the Colombian delegation at the UK's Royal Academy of Engineering. Ana María Henao, front row, grey jacket. 

Ude biologist Ana María Henao is a good example of how innovation is the result of combined efforts, arduous research   work, outstanding communications skills and creativity.  She is currently pursuing her Ph.D degree in Biotechnology at the UdeA Institute of Biology under the guidance of Professor Aura Correa.  Her graduate work focuses on mass production of elite cacao (Theobroma cacao) via biotechnology processes, a project supported by the Administrative Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (Colciencias), Universidad de Antioquia and Compañía Nacional de Chocolates (Colombia’s leading chocolate factory).

Lucía Atehortúa, coordinator of the UdeA Biotechnology Group says “this recognition is a source of great pride for the University and the Biotechnology Group, and also serves to inspire other young people to take action to benefit our country”. 

Henao previously participated in several projects related to the development of technologies for in vitro growth of cacao trees via somatic embryogenesis (plants derived from a single somatic cell).                      

Henao and her colleague Adriana Gallego, who is also pursuing a Ph.D. with interests in cacao cultivation, led a project relating to mass production of cocoa somatic embryos derived from elite materials via temporary immersion systems (RITA), under the supervision of Professor Lucía Atehortúa.       

The project was funded by CENIRED (a Colombian network of agricultural research centers), the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Universidad de Antioquia and Compañía Nacional de Chocolates. 

This research project resulted in the creation of CACAWA®, UdeA’s trademark for cacao trees produced via biotechnological methods.

This promising imitative was selected to participate in the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Leaders in Innovation Fellowships program sponsored by the UK Newton Fund.

The jury of the Leaders in Innovation Fellowships program, evaluates a variety of topics ranging from business models, intellectual property, management and finance, to personal presentation, customer relationship management and negotiation skills.    

Henao was part of a Colombian delegation consisting of 13 participants. Contestants from Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam also attended the event held in London.

"At the end of the event, the contestants had the opportunity to pitch their startup ideas to before a panel of judges. "Each contestant gets three minutes to showcase his or her startup idea. Each project is evaluated based on criteria such as the business model, innovation, presentation, communication skills, and social impact," Henao said. 

Henao’s project took third place. Cristian Blanco, a student from Universidad Industrial de Santander (UIS) won first place for his nanofique production project, and Martha Cepeda, a biologist at the Colombian biotechnology company CorpoGen, took second place for a project aimed at the production of added-value compounds.           

“This recognition encourages us to continue working to develop new production technologies and upgrade conventional technologies through the application of biotechnology techniques to promote efficient and sustainable use of natural resources in Colombia,” Henao said.

Henao says she is grateful “to have had the opportunity to acquire the skills needed to conduct scientific research aimed at improving production processes and develop effective business language skills to encourage investment in technology”.

The researcher believes that the training delivered at the event could be replicated at UdeA in order to produce highly skilled researchers and innovators. “The growing demand for highly innovative and groundbreaking research to imporve existing products and technologies poses new challenges for today’s researchers. It is necessary to develop a sound set of negotiation skills ranging from the ability to design effective business models to the skills needed to effectively manage and communicate with customers and investors,” she said.