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Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust (PRSTRT) is a nonprofit institution established in 2004 with the mandate to invest in, facilitate, and promote science, technology, and innovation in Puerto Rico. The organization focuses on research commercialization, entrepreneurship support, public health capacity building, and STEM education.[1]
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Programs
Summarize
Perspective
The Trust operates programs divided into four areas: Research and Development, Entrepreneurship, Public Health, and Education.
Research and Development
- Puerto Rico Consortium for Clinical Investigation (PRCCI): Provides infrastructure, regulatory support, and training for clinical trials, creating partnerships with academic centers and the biopharmaceutical industry.[2]
Technology Transfer Office logo]]
- Technology Transfer Office (TTO): Provides commercialization assistance, intellectual property consulting, licensing negotiation, and industry partnership brokering.
- Research Grants Program: Issues competitive funding calls in biotechnology, environmental science, digital health, and medical devices, prioritizing translational projects.
- Center for Tropical Biodiversity and Conservation: Conducts research on native species, climate impact, and coastal vulnerability and supports conservation policy.
Entrepreneurship
- Colmena66: A business support platform that routes entrepreneurs to mentorship, funding, accelerators, regulatory guidance, and federal innovation programs.[3]
- Fase1: Offers pre-acceleration resources, prototyping assistance, and business validation through two tracks: Lab and Intensive.[4]
Public health
- Puerto Rico Public Health Institute (PRPHI): Established as a reorganized division in 2025 (formerly Public Health Trust). PRPHI focuses on epidemiology, chronic disease surveillance, emergency response readiness, digital health analytics, and public health workforce development. In 2025 the institute:
- deployed a cloud-based epidemiology data hub,
- expanded municipal partnerships for outbreak response,
- launched an emergency communication protocol training network,
- adopted artificial intelligence tools for vector surveillance,
- and strengthened international agreements with research groups in the Caribbean and Latin America.[7]
- Puerto Rico Vector Control Unit (PRVCU): Implements mosquito surveillance, geospatial monitoring, public outreach campaigns, and genetically-informed risk modeling.[8]
Education
- Science City: A master-planned innovation district hosting labs, co-working space, university partnerships, and public STEM exhibits. Construction and phased deployment continued through 2025 with an increased focus on translational biotechnology.
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Governance
The Trust is governed by a board composed of private sector leaders, academic advisors, technology executives, and government representatives. Advisory committees evaluate grant proposals, commercial viability, and health policy priorities.[9]
Funding
The institution receives funding from:
- Special allocations from the government of Puerto Rico,
- Federal research grants,
- Philanthropic contributions,
- Private partnerships,
- Investment returns from programs such as Parallel18.
In 2025, PRPHI secured expanded access to CDC cooperative agreements and emergency preparedness grants.[10]
Impact
By 2025 the Trust had:
- supported over 1,000 local startups,
- contributed to technology workforce training,
- facilitated over 300 clinical trials through PRCCI,
- developed island-wide vector risk modeling,
- and established a distributed public health training ecosystem.
Partnerships
The Trust maintains collaborations with:
- CDC Dengue Branch,
- U.S. NIH trial networks,
- Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA),
- local universities and municipal health departments.
Controversies
Some critics have raised concerns about uneven funding distribution and regional access to entrepreneurship programs. Program administrators have responded with outreach expansions and remote participation opportunities.[11]
Future projects
Planned initiatives include:
- island-wide environmental sensor networks,
- community-based chronic disease monitoring pilots,
- expanded accelerator-to-investment pathways,
- biotechnology wet-lab co-development hubs.
References
External links
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