Ciudades y Comunidades Sostenibles

FICT-ESPOL held an inter-institutional meeting with representatives from the Ayangue Municipality, the Drinking Water Administrative Board, and various stakeholders from ESPOL to strengthen cooperation and establish a work agenda focused on the sustainable development of the region. Among the priorities identified are drinking water supply, sanitation, drainage, infrastructure, and community empowerment. The initiative includes research, outreach, and community service projects, as well as the use of drones to collect territorial data.

FICT and CIPAT participated in the 31st International Conference on Modelling, Monitoring, and Management of Air Pollution (Air Pollution 2026), held in Bristol, United Kingdom. During the conference, Jairo Dueñas, M.Sc., presented a study on the spatial and temporal variability of PM2.5 in coastal and urban areas of southern Ecuador during the rainy season; Paúl Carrión, dean of FICT, was among the study’s authors. This participation helped raise the profile of ESPOL’s research and strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration on environmental issues.

A project led by researchers from FICT-ESPOL will provide scientific evidence to help understand the dynamics and vulnerability of groundwater in the Galápagos, strengthening its sustainable management and contributing to the protection of a vital resource for the island communities.

FICT and CIPAT: ESPOL’s participation in an international conference in the United Kingdom strengthened the global reach of its research through the presentation of 12 studies on sustainable development, highlighting the collaborative work of its researchers and their scientific contributions to addressing environmental, productive, and social challenges.

FICT and CIPAT shared the findings of the AMAZONAS Project to strengthen inter-institutional cooperation and promote sustainable land-use management strategies that contribute to environmental conservation and the development of communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

FICT presented a strategic proposal to help transform ESPOL’s Las Peñas Campus into a space for innovation, sustainability, and interdisciplinary learning, integrating research, community engagement, and academic solutions that have an impact on both the university and society.

Researchers from FICT and technicians from EPAMIL have formed a partnership to advance the ECU7010 project, which will apply isotopic techniques to the study of the Chobo aquifer in order to strengthen groundwater monitoring. This collaboration will generate scientific information to support sustainable water resource management and improve decision-making regarding the drinking water supply in Milagro.

Walter Hurtares Orrala, an engineer and professor at FICT–ESPOL, participated in El Foro Tech to explain how civil engineering and structural monitoring technologies help reduce seismic risk and strengthen building safety. During the interview, he highlighted the importance of earthquake-resistant design, updating codes, and using innovative tools to build more resilient cities.

Researchers from ESPOL and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia developed a method for transforming automotive shredder waste into lightweight aggregates for structural concrete. Published in a Q1/D1 scientific journal, the study promotes the circular economy and the development of sustainable materials for the construction industry.

FICT hosted the first biannual meeting of the project “Assessment of the Volcanic Risk Index in Ecuador,” where ESPOL-TECH and the National Secretariat for Risk Management presented the methodological and technical progress of the research. The initiative strengthens cooperation between academia and the public sector to develop geospatial tools that support volcanic risk management and land-use planning.