COAXING AN INFORMATION SOCIETY IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: THE RISE AND STEEP FALL OF A TECHNOLOGY PARK’S UNIVERSITY RESEARCH CENTER

Abstract

ICTs are tools that help fuel the processes underpinning the daily activities of an information society engine. Latin American communities are using these tools in the form of policies, strategies and programs to participate in the digital global economy. The Dominican Republic is an example of a country seeking to be a key player in this regional market. This paper discusses the attempts by a technology park’s semi-public university to launch an ICT research center. The study is based on a rich auto-ethnographic account by the author’s own experience as the chief coordinator of this center. Overall, the paper provides an interesting story of the challenges faced in launching a particular ICT research center, which can be used as lessons to many other research centers in less developed countries.