Research

The University Research Building (SIU, for its acronym in Spanish) is a scientific unit of the University of Antioquia, located in Medellin, Colombia. Since its creation in 2003, the SIU has conducted basic and applied research activities with a productive scope. It has become a benchmark for national and international scientific communities.

The SIU is an innovative and unique experience in the Latin American context, with the primary objective of effectively addressing the critical problems of our time. It seeks to improve the quality of life of individuals and the social, economic and environmental conditions of our region and our country.

Mission

The SIU is committed to excellence in knowledge management and in its administrative capacity, meeting the highest standards of quality in research, teaching and outreach.

Vision

By 2027, the SIU will be nationally and internationally recognized due to its excellence in knowledge and innovation management, contributing to society, regions, and environmental sustainability within the framework of the National System of Science, Technology and Innovation of Colombia.

Policies

• Encouraging and promoting high-quality scientific research: The SIU promotes scientific research that contributes to developing knowledge and to solving society’s problems.

• Training excellent researchers: The SIU is committed to training high-performing researchers, capable of carrying out high-quality research in various fields.

• Transferring knowledge to society: The SIU aims to transfer the generated knowledge to society in order to contribute to the country’s development.

Principles

• Autonomy of research: Research must be carried out in an autonomous way, without interferences from external factors. 

• Freedom of research: Researchers are free to choose their research topics and methods.

• Excellence in research: Research must be carried out according to the highest quality standards.

• Social Responsibility of research: Research must contribute to developing knowledge and solving social problems.

National Recognition

In over 20 years of activity, the SIU has gained extensive experience in managing and executing research projects of varying scales, which has earned it numerous awards and recognitions at the regional, national, and international levels. Notably, the SIU was recognized by the National Planning Department (DNP, for its acronym in Spanish) of Colombia for its management of large-scale research projects funded by royalty resources. These resources help improve living conditions and advance the development of Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) in Colombia's most remote regions. 

The SIU in figures

Since 2004, the SIU has managed large-scale projects: 

• More than 1,500 research and outreach projects with national and international funding entities.

• 38 projects financed with resources from the General Royalty System since 2015.

• 54 research groups from the Universidad de Antioquia that have received support from the administration for their projects.