The city of Liberia in the province of Guanacaste may soon be home to the first Industrial Park of Science and Technology in Central America. According to a news report recently filed by Fiorella Valle of Guanacaste online news daily Primero en Noticias,the intention to build this park was announced during a business and development forum that took place in the campus of EARTH University in Liberia.
Scientists from the Ad Astra Rocket Company, a major aerospace technology firm founded by NASA Hall of Fame astronaut Franklin Chang Diaz, were in attendance at the business forum, which also included legislators Marta Arauz, Otón Solís, Johnny Leiva, and Juan Manuel Quirós. Also in attendance were representatives from the National Institutes of Learning, the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (Spanish initials: ICE), the municipality of Liberia, and major banks.
The business forum concluded with a commitment to start construction of this new park as soon as possible. In Costa Rica, the city of Liberia has the highest concentration of science and technology research and development facilities. The major anchors in this regard are EARTH University and the Ad Astra Rocket Company, and there is high interest in expanding this market. The chosen site will be located about five minutes away from the Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport.
The initial disciplines that will be developed at this new science and technology park will include:
- Alternatives to fossil fuels
- Biomass applications
- Recycling
- Sustainable agriculture
- Carbon neutrality
- Wind power
- Solar energy
Agricultural exports such as mangoes, sugar cane, rice, hay, and beef will also be handled and packaged at this park, which could create more than two thousand jobs. Despite the presence of EARTH University and the Ad Astra Rocket Company, the tourism and real estate sectors in Guanacaste have mostly displaced agricultural workers. As a result, this province has the highest level of unemployment in Costa Rica.
