FUNDACION CENTRO DE ALTA TECNOLOGIA

Their core work

Fundacion Centro de Alta Tecnologia is a Costa Rican research foundation that operates at two distinct frontiers: biomedical research into neurodegenerative disease diagnostics, and international coordination of High-Performance Computing policy between Latin America and Europe. In the biomedical domain, they contributed to automated functional screening of immunoglobulins for diagnosing diseases such as ALS, working with neuronal cell models and electrophysiological readouts. In the HPC domain, they serve as a Latin American node in a European-led network that maps HPC capacity, aligns roadmaps, and facilitates bi-lateral research policy dialogue between the EU and partner countries. Their dual profile makes them unusual: a non-European institution that bridges Southern hemisphere scientific capacity with EU-funded research networks.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their earliest H2020 involvement (2018) was grounded in wet-lab neuroscience — immunoglobulins, astrocyte biology, calcium signalling, and electrophysiological cell assays for diagnosing ALS. By 2021, their focus had shifted entirely to the world of HPC infrastructure, AI, and international research policy, with no overlap in topics between the two projects. This is not a gradual evolution but a pivot — either different teams within the foundation pursue independent tracks, or the organization is deliberately broadening its portfolio to span both biomedical and digital domains.

The shift toward HPC coordination and AI policy suggests the foundation is positioning itself as a strategic interface between Latin American research capacity and European digital infrastructure programmes — a role likely to grow as the EU expands its international HPC partnerships.

How they like to work

They have never led an H2020 project — both participations were as partner or third party, with minimal EC funding (EUR 6,250 total), indicating a supporting or observer-level role rather than a core technical contributor. Their 23 unique partners across 15 countries reflects engagement in large multi-partner consortia rather than tight bilateral relationships. This profile suggests they bring value through institutional access, geographic reach, and domain contacts rather than through large research teams or major infrastructure.

Despite only two projects, HTC Foundation has connected with 23 distinct partners across 15 countries — an unusually wide network for such limited project participation, likely explained by their involvement in large MSCA and CSA consortia designed for broad international coverage. Their geographic reach extends across Europe and Latin America.

What sets them apart

As a Costa Rican research foundation, HTC Foundation occupies a rare position as a non-European anchor in EU-funded research networks, which is precisely why consortia involving Latin American coverage value their participation. Their combination of biomedical research credentials and HPC policy engagement is uncommon in their region, making them a credible bridge partner for European projects that need Latin American institutional representation. For any consortium targeting EU–Latin America collaboration in digital infrastructure or biomedical research, they offer access to local networks that European partners cannot easily replicate.

Highlights from their portfolio

• RISC2
  Positions HTC Foundation as Latin America's contact node in a Europe-wide HPC observatory and policy coordination network, giving them unique visibility in the EU's international digital research agenda.
• AUTOIGG
  Involvement in a sophisticated MSCA-RISE project on automated IgG diagnostics for ALS demonstrates that the foundation has credible links to neuroscience research groups despite its non-European base.