Best Practices in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at EIA University

Universidad EIA, formerly known as the Escuela de Ingeniería de Antioquia, was founded on February 14, 1978, by a distinguished group of twenty-seven engineers from the university, business, and government sectors. Its purpose was the creation of a higher education institution to provide engineering education with academic excellence, in an environment of coexistence and in pursuit of the ethical formation and development of the values that society demands of engineers. Throughout its history, EIA has been characterized by the comprehensive training of professionals of the highest academic and personal quality.

After four decades of forming high-quality professionals, developing knowledge that contributes to improving the community's quality of life, and interacting with society for mutual enrichment, the institution embraces new institutional challenges guided by the essence that has characterized Universidad EIA since its founding.

EIA has established itself as an institution recognized for its permanent pursuit of academic excellence, for the formation of upstanding and competent citizens and professionals, for its relevance in technological and social development, and for its diverse endeavors. Thanks to these achievements, it has become a talent hub, increasingly attracting the attention of organizations such as MIT Technology Review — the magazine of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) — which across five editions has selected forty-four young Colombians as innovators under 35. Among them, eleven are affiliated with EIA (25% of the total, with seven from the Biomedical Engineering program). Receiving this distinction means being recognized as one of the most important innovators in Colombia and Latin America.

Also noteworthy are the recognitions obtained in international scholarship competitions and postgraduate studies at leading universities around the world. These talented individuals today lead prominent companies and government entities, create businesses and technologies, generate quality employment, make a positive impact on their environment, and contribute to building a better future.

The institution holds the conviction that serious, determined, rigorous work aligned with international trends in education is the path to continuing the journey proposed by its founders and led by its directors, who today drive it toward more open and international horizons. In Colombia, accreditation of 100% of accreditable undergraduate programs has been achieved, and the institution has been re-accredited through 2023 — important considerations when thinking about continuing the path toward international accreditation of its programs.