Abinader swears in Committee to promote Punta Bergantín tourism project

President Luis Abinader swore in the professionals who will comprise the Scientific Committee of the Punta Bergantín Innovation HUB, which will be chaired by Reverend Secilio Espinal, Rector of the Pontifical Catholic Mother and Teacher University (PUCMM).

Its primary mission will be to identify and design research and innovation projects in vital areas that will propel the country toward new levels of well-being, as well as to address and provide solutions to current and future problems.

Abinader stated that innovation and research are pillars for building a prosperous and sustainable future, benefiting all Dominicans. Therefore, “we are going to begin working and conducting the research appropriate to our needs.”

He cited citizen security, the electrical system, and agriculture as areas that could benefit from technological innovation, establishing objectives that will serve as a guide for new achievements.

In this regard, Franklyn Holguín Haché, president of the Punta Bergantín Innovation Hub, noted that through the Hub, “we will be able to identify the most promising projects and channel the necessary resources to achieve tangible solutions that benefit our society and strengthen our economy. It’s the perfect synergy between vision and execution.”

The five pillars of the agenda are: promoting education; developing environmental solutions in light of the country’s vulnerability to climate change; strengthening agriculture and food security; promoting renewable energy to ensure availability at competitive prices; and modernizing the digital economy to transform the Dominican economy from an analog to a digital model.

Scientific Committee

Reverend Espinal, who chairs the Committee, expressed the strong commitment of all parties involved to ensuring that this collaboration between academia, business, and government achieves its goals and generates a positive and lasting impact.

It brings together experts from academia, trade associations, private companies, and state entities. It will operate within the Punta Bergantín Innovation Hub, whose primary function is to foster financial, technical, and collaborative connections with research initiatives and ideas, thereby facilitating the transformation of projects identified by the Scientific Committee into viable commercial proposals.

Representing the Government were the Minister of Finance, José Manuel Vicente ; the Minister of Labor, Luis Miguel De Camps; the Minister of Industry, Commerce, and MSMEs, Víctor “Ito” Bisonó; and the Minister of Youth, Carlos Valdez.

Also attending were Banreservas CEO Samuel Pereyra and Deputy Minister of Tourism Patricia Mejía. Representing the private sector were Jonathan Bournigal, Eduardo Valcácer, and Andrés Marranzini.