Óscar Gualdrón

Associate Consultant

Offices: Colombia

Email: oscar.gualdron@technopolis-group.com

Óscar Gualdrón is an associate consultant at Technopolis Bogotá with over 27 years of experience across various fields. He has been associated with higher education and research institutions, the industrial sector, and the national government, in addition to having experience as a consultant. Throughout his career, he has carried out tasks in research, research and innovation management, higher education, and the corporate sphere, as well as strategic direction and planning.

For 17 years, he was associated with the Universidad Industrial de Santander, where he carried out teaching duties at the undergraduate, specialisation, master’s, and doctoral levels in various programs. He led several research projects, the results of which were published in specialised scientific journals. He also performed university management functions that led to the creation of the Vice-Rectorate of Research and Extension, which he directed for 6 years. During his time at Ecopetrol S.A., he designed a new competency model for the company, changed the operational model of the corporate university, developed an accelerated training program, and launched strategic programs for the integration of young talents and postgraduate training.

Subsequently, he joined Colciencias (now Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation) for three years, where he served as Director of Research Promotion and in 2018 as Deputy Director General. His management achieved the closure of the national scientific production goals for 2018, contributed to the design and implementation of the Colombia Científica call, guided calls to finance research towards major national challenges, and formulated the policy to increase the impact and visibility of national scientific production. As a consultant for Go Advice & Consulting, he has participated in projects to design R&D+i units for companies, Tax Benefit Management, Educational Innovation, among others. He is also an occasional professor of postgraduate programs at universities in Bogotá and Bucaramanga and co-founder of Inga Capital an angel investor fund.

Óscar Gualdrón obtained degrees in physics and systems engineering, a master’s degree in physics and a specialist in university teaching at the Industrial University of Santander, and a doctorate in physics from Laval University. He is a native Spanish speaker, is fluent in English and French.