By: Margarita Rivera Motato. Journalist at UdeA Communications Department
With an investment of nearly 64 billion pesos and the participation of nine academic institutions along with other public and private entities, the Datecol 4.0 project aims to transform the Colombian scientific landscape by creating a validated, open-access big data platform focused on predictive medicine and energy efficiency. Led by the Universidad de Antioquia, this initiative is 60% funded by the General Royalties System and combines Industry 4.0 technologies with basic sciences to enhance the country’s scientific sovereignty.
Datecol will enable the collection of scientific data through a “big data” system that will serve the country. Reference image: Communications Department / Alejandra Uribe F.
Increasing the capacity to generate and analyze large volumes of scientific data, required for decentralized development and the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies, is the goal of an ambitious national project currently underway that aims to develop an open-access, validated “big data” platform geared towards predictive medicine and energy efficiency.
The platform in question is Datecol 4.0, an initiative led by Universidad de Antioquia that also involves academic institutions from the five regions of the country. It also engages private companies and international partners from the United States, Europe, and Latin America. These partners include Brookhaven National Lab, the University of Florida, the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, the University of Barcelona, and the Federal University of Pernambuco.
The total cost of the project amounts to nearly 64 billion pesos, including in-kind contributions from strategic partners. With approved resources of approximately 36.5 billion pesos, roughly 60% of that cost will be financed by science, technology, and innovation funds from the General Royalties System.
The purpose of this initiative is to facilitate the integration of Industry 4.0 technologies with basic sciences at the national level through an open platform that will advance health and energy efficiency, two critical areas for social well-being and economic development. Furthermore, the project seeks to reduce the technological gap between Colombia and countries with greater investment in science, thereby decreasing external dependence by providing contextualized, relevant knowledge for the national environment.
The project also seeks to generate knowledge based on the region’s own scientific data, which, according to UdeA researchers, impacts social responsibility by incorporating specific conditions of Colombian populations. This approach would enable a big data system built on real inputs, which in turn would help create concrete solutions for different areas of the country.
Datecol 4.0 will also generate cutting-edge scientific knowledge that involves personnel from various educational backgrounds, as well as technological infrastructure, and training and learning activities. All of this will ensure that the project and its results are aligned with national and municipal development plans and various government policies for knowledge generation.
Professor Óscar Arnache Olmos, coordinator of the Solid State Group, based at the University Research Headquarters (SIU) and attached to the Physics Institute at the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, emphasized that this project will not only strengthen the scientific infrastructure of UdeA but also that of eight other academic institutions in the country. “We have three main objectives: advance basic science, strengthen research infrastructure, and promote the social appropriation of knowledge,” he explained.
According to Professor Carlos Ostos Ortiz, the project leader, the formulation and approval process took more than 18 months and involved administrative and technical challenges. UdeA has gained experience in managing these types of resources, which was key to securing the proposal’s approval for the allocation of resources from the General Royalties System (SGR) by the Órgano Colegiado de Administración y Decisión (OCAD) (Collegiate Body of Administration and Decision) for Science, Technology, and Innovation.
The initiative, led by UdeA’s Vice-Rectorate for Research, the Solid State research group, and the Catalysts and Adsorbents research group, from the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, involves a broad range of UdeA’s academic units and knowledge areas: physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, medicine, engineering, and computer sciences. It also includes strategic entities such as Hospital Alma Máter de Antioquia, Parque Explora, Tecnnova, and others.
For leading researchers, disciplinary and sectoral diversity is key to addressing the proposed challenges in the quest to generate, store, and process scientific data that help provide solutions in health and energy. “We want to build a validated, open-access big data platform that is aligned with the policies of the Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies and the national government,” Ostos stated.
The project, framed within Industry 4.0 technologies, includes not only big data but also machine learning, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, and others. For the researchers, these areas are transforming the world, and Colombia needs to align itself with these global trends.
“It is essential that the community adopts this new language. Not only researchers, but also the public must take ownership of these tools to improve their work and personal environments,” said Professor Ostos Ortiz, who explained that the project also includes training and outreach programs in the regions to democratize access to and social appropriation of knowledge.
One of the pillars of this work is knowledge sovereignty, which requires highly qualified human talent, robust infrastructure, and a knowledge transfer strategy. According to Professor Ostos, this project has a strong social impact that will address different sectors. “We will impact the education of undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students in the natural sciences at the institutions in this alliance and more than 4,200 young people, including victims of the conflict and populations with a differential approach. We will also equip laboratories at universities such as Universidad del Norte, Universidad del Tolima, Universidad del Cauca, Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó, and Universidad de la Amazonía with cutting-edge technology,” he explained.
Health and energy: a strategic convergence
Although health and energy seem like opposing fields, in the context of Industry 4.0 technologies, they are deeply interconnected. The storage and processing of massive amounts of data require vast amounts of energy, which poses sustainability challenges.
As for health, the project will focus on predictive medicine. For example, exomic sequences, a key tool in genetics for tracking mutations, will be targeted. These sequences can identify diseases in the Colombian population, build maps, and advance, particularly, the early diagnosis of some types of cancer. This approach would anticipate risks and personalize treatments, which represents a significant leap forward in medical care.
Regarding energy, the initiative will promote efficient generation, including the development of knowledge of on-site hydrogen generation, advanced batteries, and energy-efficient mechanisms in the regions. The aim is to arrive at solutions that respond to local conditions and optimize energy use in scientific processes. To achieve this, the project envisions the creation of technological devices that improve the transmission, storage, and processing of information. “Industry 4.0 technologies have an enormous energy consumption. That’s why we need to develop solutions that are efficient and do not compromise the planet’s sustainability,” explained Ostos.
Execution and projection
The project has a five-year timeline, with a forecast impact lasting another five years. It includes three phases: conditioning, execution, and product delivery. It will start in November 2025, and during the first 24 months, the scientific infrastructure, equipped with all necessary technology, will be installed at each partner university. The next three years will focus on research, training, and sharing knowledge with the community.
Governance will be carried out by a board of directors of representatives from partner organizations, as well as a scientific and technical committee. A general management team will coordinate the objectives, deliverables, and indicators within the framework approved by the OCAD. “It’s a mature model proven in other large-scale projects that guarantees transparency and efficiency,” the researcher noted.
The expected impact includes not only scientific advances but also social and economic transformations. The big data platform will be open access, hosted at datos.gov.co, and available to researchers, government institutions, businesses, and citizens, which will allow other projects to benefit from this information, and new initiatives in health, energy, and Industry 4.0 technologies to be generated.
Furthermore, the project is expected to contribute to public policy formulation, strengthen regional capacities, and consolidate a science and technology network. In this sense, Datecol 4.0 is not just an academic endeavor, but a comprehensive strategy for sustainable development. It is a collaborative effort, a tangible union with the various actors of the “quintuple helix,” a cooperative model that involves government, academia, industry, the environment, and civil society.
Professor Carlos Ostos emphasized that this is a national project with significant challenges and opportunities. “We want universities to play a leading role in national development, generate high-level innovation, and, at the project’s conclusion, consolidate synergies capable of invigorating public policies in science, health, and energy,” he concluded.
