II Master Academy LALICS 2023 New approaches to innovation for sustainable

For the first time, Paraguay will hold the LALICS Master Academy in June 2023, organized by the National Council of Science and Technology of Paraguay (CONACYT) and the Paraguay Innovation Economy Network (REIP) with the co-organization of the National University of Asuncion (UNA), the American University (UA) and the German-Paraguayan university (UPA).
The objective of the Academy is to contribute to strengthening the capacities and skills of master's degree students for the development of their theses, both at the theoretical and empirical level, on topics related to the analysis of innovation and development processes in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Academy represents an opportunity to generate training and exchange opportunities among master's degree students from Latin America and the Caribbean, thus facilitating the construction of academic spaces for interaction and cooperation among students and academics from the region. The aim is to increase and strengthen regional capacities for constructing research agendas and developing public STI policies.

The Academy will be divided into three main activities:
1) Presentation of master's thesis projects and advances.
2) Classes and seminars with academics and specialists from the region.
3) Workshops to work in groups and present the results obtained.

25 Participants will be selected based on the Call for Applications. Selection aims at promoting diversity among participants, making sure that students from many countries of Latin America are represented. The candidates with the best CVs and the most promising extended abstracts will be selected.
Student selection will be based on an evaluation of the following:
1) A recommendation letter from the supervisor to support their participation in the LALICS Academy 2023.
2) An extended abstract describing the student’s thesis project with the following characteristics:

Language: abstracts will be accepted in Spanish, Portuguese, and English.
Length: between 5 and 10 pages, written in Times New Roman font, size 12, 1.5 line spacing, with 2.5 cm margins on each side.
Structure:
• Identification sheet (with the title of the thesis project, the names of the master's student and the thesis director, the Master's program and the program and the institution)
• Objectives and research questions
• Review of the literature
• Methodology
• Analysis of results or presentation of your project's progress (partial results, discussions, and implications)
• Next steps (in case the thesis has not yet been completed)
Both documents should be sent by e-mail to the address academiamaestrialalics@gmail.com, indicating as subject: "Applicant's surname – Country where he/she is doing his/her master studies – Academia Maestria 2023".
The Scientific Committee will evaluate the application and decide on the acceptance of participation.

Important dates:
• Deadline for receipt of abstracts: *15 February 2023. *
• Publication of accepted abstracts: March 2023.
Travel and accommodation assistance:
• For selected students outside of Asuncion, the Academy, and supporting institutions will provide accommodation from June 12-17, 2023 (5 nights). Due to the limited budget available to the organization, the financing of air tickets will be subject to analysis. Those who require this assistance should specify it in the body of the application e-mail, attaching a file detailing the cost of the itinerary.

Support institutions:
• Universidad Americana (UA)
• Universidad Paraguayo-Alemana (UPA)
• Young Scholars Initiative (YSI)
• Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID)
• Unión Industrial Paraguaya (UIP)
• Programa Nacional de Becas Don Carlos Antonio López (BECAL)**