Santiago Ruilova

General Objective: Develop an automatic climate forecast evaluation system using source computational code for evaluation/verification of large volumes of data based on online code (streamline code) and optimized for high-performance computing. Specific Objectives Participating Institutions: YACHAY TECH, ESPOL, IKIAM Participants: Project Director Luis Eduardo Pineda Ordóñez, Ph.D. Engineering Sciences

General Objective: Evaluate the biological diversity of the populations of Chonta (Bactris gasipeas Kunth) in the Coast and Amazon of Ecuador. Specific Objectives Participating Institutions: PUCE, ESPE, ESPOCH, UCE, French Institute for Development Research. Participants: Project Director Rommel Montúfar, Ph.D. – PUCE Awarded budget: $73452 Project status: Signing of agreements.

General Objective: Evaluate the diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with the species of agroforestry interest cacao (Theobroma cacao), cedar (Cedrela montana) and guayusa (Ilex guayusa) in three regions of Ecuador. Specific Objectives Participating Institutions: IKIAM, YACHAY TECH, ESPOL. Participants: Project Director Leopoldo Naranjo, Doctor in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology – IKIAM Awarded budget: $36,871.52 State of the

General Objective: The objective of this project is to contribute to the improvement of food safety in Ecuador through the development of mitigation strategies for microbial, mycotoxic and heavy metal contaminants in the most consumed foods in the country and validation of the impact of a program. nationwide training. Specific Objectives Institutions

General Objective: The general objective of this study is the development and pilot application of a method and tool for the evaluation and design of safe school routes in two intermediate cities in Ecuador. These safe routes are urban corridors that offer attractive conditions so that boys and girls can walk or pedal safely.

General Objective: Identify biogeochemical and hydrological processes in wetlands with stable isotope techniques in the páramo and the Amazon of southern Ecuador to propose conservation lines and eventual generation of public policy. Specific Objectives Participating Institutions: UTA, UCACUE, University of Bayreuth. Participants: Project Director Gustavo Chacón Vintimilla, PhD. In Biology – UDA. Budget

General Objective: The general objective of this project is to evaluate microbial surfactants (MST) isolated from Ecuadorian Bacillus strains for the development of sustainable cleaning systems and thus, potentially, replace the synthetic surfactants LAS and SLES. Specific Objectives Participating Institutions: ESPOL, UTA, ESPE. Participants: Project Director Jonathan Ricardo Coronel León, PhD. In Biotechnology – ESPOL.

General Objective: Develop a collaborative control scheme that allows multiple aerial manipulator robots to optimally maneuver, in order to execute autonomous and tele-operated tasks that require both navigation and manipulation capabilities. Specific Objectives Participating Institutions: ESPE, ESPOCH, UNACH, UTI, UIDE, Central University of Venezuela. Participants: Project Director Jorge Sánchez, MSc. In Teaching

General Objective: Physically-chemically characterize and bioactivity tests of Andean floral species with nutritional potential and preventive effect on certain human diseases. Specific Objectives Participating Institutions: UPS, UTE, UTA, INIAP, University of Seville. Participants: Project Director Elena del Rocío Coyago Cruz, PhD. Agricultural, Food, Forestry and Sustainable Rural Development Engineering – UPS. Awarded budget: $74,400 State