Expedition liftoff! Building a new space for innovation at the Tec

Tec de Monterrey is proposing a multidisciplinary space between academia, industry, and society that generates scientific and technological knowledge to provide solutions to the challenges facing humanity with its new Expedition building.

This building will bring together local, national, and international experts to carry out scientific and innovation activities so as to build a feasible life for the next 100 years.

“By creating this space, we renew the Tec’s commitment proposed in our (2025) Strategic Plan. We will also move forward with our goal of becoming a university whose impact extends ever further,” explained José Antonio Fernández Carbajal, President of the Tec’s Board of Directors.

With construction of Expedition, the institution kicks off phase 2 of DistritoTec and its transformation into an innovation district, which includes approximately 280,000 m² of real estate development.

“Today, through the initiative we’ve named ‘Leading the way for the expedition,’ we will encourage the collaboration of innovative and entrepreneurial minds.

“We will do this so that this type of research can be carried out and turned into startups and applications to promote economic, social, and environmental development,” explained David Garza Salazar, Rector and Executive President of the Tec.

He added that the name Expedition was intended to promote high-impact and high-value projects for the state, the region, the country, and the world.

“By creating this space, we renew the Tec’s commitment proposed in our Strategic Plan.” - José Antonio Fernández

The first Expedition ´stone is ´launched

A drone was used to lay the first stone on the slab where the new Expedition building will be located, during the construction’s commencement ceremony.

The event took place on November 29 in the Main Hall of the Rector’s Building. Leaders, researchers, professors, and various members of the Tec community gathered to experience the beginning of this new phase via a ‘spatial experience’.

“The loss of housing was the starting point for reinventing and recognizing ourselves as an integral part of this neighborhood community. Today, our district has increased its population by 56%,” said Eva Garza, Chair of the DistritoTec Committee.

She also said that this evolution seeks to foster a better society with significant changes to the teaching-learning process and promote a healthy lifestyle.

“Through the initiative we’ve named ‘Leading the way for the expedition,’ we will encourage the collaboration of innovative minds.” - David Garza

For her part, Lorena Guillé-Laris, Executive Director of FEMSA Foundation, highlighted the importance of this innovation space.

“FEMSA Foundation and Tecnológico de Monterrey have a long history of promoting knowledge and innovation.

“The beginning of this project is an important steppingstone towards our commitment to the innovation Latin America needs,” she said.

Learn more about Expedition

This new space for meeting, exchange, and connection is estimated to be completed in 2024.

It will consist of seven levels, of which the first two floors will be open to the public, and floors 3 through 7 will be private spaces specializing in generating valuable and useful knowledge for society.

• Level 1: “The door to the future” will house the Science Gallery, a conceptual restaurant, and an experimental store.
• Level 2: “Community with purpose” will house the Venture Café, an Incubator, and a Maker Space.
• Level 3: “Knowledge in action” will contain the Futures DesignLab, an accelerator, and a Fintech lab.
• Level 4: “Institute for the Future of Education” is a space dedicated to research, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
• Level 5: “Institute for Obesity Research” is a space for people’s physical, mental, and emotional health.
• Level 6: “Institute of Advanced Materials for Sustainable Manufacturing” is a space for joining forces to create more sustainable materials and processes.
• Level 7: “Feasible life in 100 years” is a space dedicated to generating solutions to the environmental, social, economic, and political problems facing the planet.

Get to know the building through a virtual tour by clicking here.

“The beginning of this project is an important steppingstone towards our commitment to innovation.” - Lorena Guillé-Laris

Presentation of Science Gallery Monterrey

JUMPSTART is the name of the first pop-up exhibition on Monterrey campus, designed to attract and introduce the public to the Science Gallery project.

This gallery will be located on the first floor of the new Expedition building and will include works by local artists. The international Science Gallery network is the only global university network dedicated to public engagement with science and art.

“Science Gallery is an example of the work that different educational institutions can do for art and science,” said Sarah Durcan, Director of Science Gallery International.

Science Gallery Monterrey is the most recent addition to the international Science Gallery network, which currently has sites in Dublin, London, Melbourne, Bengaluru, Berlin, Rotterdam, and Atlanta.

This exhibition will feature works on loan from the University of Melbourne’s Science Gallery Melbourne, and Emory University’s Science Gallery Atlanta.

“The loss of housing was the starting point for reinventing and recognizing ourselves as an integral part of this community.” - Eva Garza

During the launch event, the first official agreement between Tecnológico de Monterrey and Science Gallery International was also signed.

This signing ceremony was led by David Garza Salazar, President and Rector of the Tec, Juan Pablo Murra, Rector for Higher Education, and Sarah Durcan, Director of Science Gallery International.

Also present were Roberto Íñiguez, National Dean of the School of Architecture, Art, and Design, and Miguel González Virgen, leader of the Monterrey Region Arts Initiative.

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