OAS, Panama Name INDICASAT Biotech Center of Excellence
January 28, 2026, Panama City, Panama - The Organization of American States (OAS) and Panama's National Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation (SENACYT) signed a Cooperation Agreement designating the Institute for Scientific Research and High Technology Services (INDICASAT-AIP) as an OAS Regional Center of Excellence in Biotechnology.
The agreement was signed by OAS Secretary General Albert R. Ramdin and Panama's National Secretary of SENACYT, Eduardo Ortega-Barría, during the International Economic Forum for Latin America and the Caribbean 2026 organized by the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) in Panama City.
Upon signing the agreement, the OAS Secretary General said "Regional cooperation is an imperative in a world characterized by deep transformations. Multilateralism must evolve into a 'version 2.0' that is resilient, results-oriented, and capable of addressing the challenges that no country can solve alone. Asa region we must be at the forefront. We must invest in human capital, research, and capacities that respond to our priorities and realities. The designation of INDICASAT as an Organization of American States Center of Excellence reflects Panama's dynamic scientific ecosystem and its growing competitiveness in strategic innovation areas."
Carlos Guevara Mann, Panama's Vice Minister of Multilateral Affairs and Cooperation
For his part, the Panamanian Vice Minister of Multilateral Affairs and Cooperation, Carlos Guevara Mann, said "The support of the National Government for SENACYT represents a milestone in Panama's hemispheric projection. Beyond an institutional recognition, it reflects the country's firm progress toward a modern diplomacy in which scientific research is consolidated as one of its pillars. Promoting science and technological solutions connects Panama through a new axis: that of applied science and sustainable development."
The ceremony brought together senior Panamanian authorities, ambassadors of OAS member states, and members of the scientific community, underscoring the OAS's role as a hemispheric platform for collaboration in science, technology, and innovation and Panama's growing leadership in biotechnology and life sciences.
As an OAS Center of Excellence, INDICASAT will serve as a regional hub in biotechnology and carry out research, foresight studies and advanced modeling on biodiversity, bioprospecting, and health sciences, to map global and regional trends. The designation brings the total number of confirmed Centers within the OAS Network of Centers of Excellence in Transformative Technologies to seven, hosted in Mexico (Blockchain), Colombia (Robotics and Artificial Intelligence), Peru (Advanced Materials and Nanomaterials), Chile (Artificial Intelligence), Argentina (Transformative Technologies and Circular Economy), Brazil (Ocean Technologies), and Panama (Biotechnology). Together, the Centers work to address shared regional challenges through science and technology, provide capacity-building programs in transformative technologies, and deliver studies and data to support evidence-based policymaking across the Americas.
At the ceremony, both signatories also announced the organization of a joint Regional Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Biotechnology, to be hosted in Panama in the second half of 2026. The conference, organized by SENACYT and INDICASAT in collaboration with the OAS, will provide a hemispheric platform to advance dialogue and knowledge-sharing on the convergence of AI and biotechnology.
The signing of this agreement reinforces the commitment of the OAS and its member states to implement hemispheric priorities agreed upon at the VII Meeting of Ministers and High-Level Authorities of Science and Technology.
Reference: E-027/26
https://www.oas.org/en/media_center/press_release.asp?sCodigo=E-027/26
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