Governor: do not politicize the Trust
In 2015 I had the opportunity to visit the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust (PRSTRT) and meet with both its CEO Lucy Crespo, and its COO Ivan Ríos Mena. The meeting was arranged after an email conversation where I presented them an idea to build a Big Data & AI lab in Puerto Rico. I’ve been always interested in collaborating with the Tech and Science ecosystem in Puerto Rico, but all attempts to do so through government institutions had always been received with a variation of “what party are you from?”. This was different. They embraced my idea — without knowing much about me — and responded with a simple “how can we help you make this a reality”.
While I did not proceed with this idea (yet), the positive experience with the PRSTRT has given me enough hope and motivation to frequently come back to the island and to collaborate with the science and tech ecosystem in Puerto Rico every time I have a chance. Over the past couple of years, with the PRSTRT leading the charge, this ecosystem has flourished tremendously. This ecosystem has grown (and this is a rarity in Puerto Rico) as a community where politics are not welcomed.
Both science and technology require long-term focus. Ambitious research projects can take years or even decades to materialize. But is this kind of ambition what will take Puerto Rico out of its economic crisis. Experts talk about our positioning in the “knowledge economy” and how we should focus on exporting services to fight the island’s economic crisis. We can do this by doubling down in science and technology through talent, IP, software, hardware, entrepreneurship, and other exportable innovations.
The Trust leadership needs to have long term vision, long-term focus, long-term commitment to execute, and a permanent shield from the toxic politics of Puerto Rico. Three-year terms of “empleados de confianza” are designed to be the complete opposite of that. Turnover caused by the change of leadership and skepticism of the community will cause focus to be lost and the same level of politicization that has crippled virtually every government agency in the island.
The way these changes have been developed this week is alarming too. Scientific innovation often happens in public, is debated with facts, evidence, and observations. It is sad and ironic that the Island’s Legislature decided to pass this bill with no public forum, without listening to the ecosystem, pretty much in the dark.
I see the current structure of the PRSTRT leadership as an acknowledgment that the Trust is bigger than any incumbent government. This has been the main reason why many of us — scientists and techies; skeptics of government and politics in the Island — have remained involved, and cheerleading many of the PRSTRT initiatives. I ask Governor Ricardo Rosselló to reject these changes and to avoid the politicization of the PRSTRT. Governor: you are a scientist too. You should know very well why the word “politics” does not appear in the Scientific Method.
