Entry Date:
February 15, 2003

MIT-Mexico Program (MISTI)

Principal Investigator Paulo Lozano

Project Start Date April 2004


MIT-Mexico is a true reflection of MIT’s dual role as an international institution and national resource in an increasingly global economy.

Mexico is a country where MIT members can bring together two-level leaders from government, industry and academia for strategic analysis of topics like energy reform and climate change. MIT students and faculty are making their marks at some of Mexico’s largest and most successful companies and institutions and with individuals and communities across this rapidly evolving land.

Founded in 2004, the MIT-Mexico Program has placed more than 200 MIT interns in Mexico in more than 60 institutions. The MIT-Mexico Seed Funds award grants to enable collaborations between MIT faculty and their Mexican colleagues. The MIT-Mexico program hosts events on Mexican cultural, political and business contemporary topics at MIT.

MEXICO SEED FUND: The MIT-Mexico Seed Fund supports collaborations between MIT faculty and research scientists and their counterparts in Mexico.

MIT-Mexico - CONACYT Seed Fund -- The MIT-Mexico - CONACYT Seed Fund supports new collaborations between faculty and research scientists at MIT and their counterparts in Mexico. Through an annual call for proposals, the fund primarily supports travel costs for exchange between a team at MIT and colleagues in universities and public research in Mexico. The Mexican colleague(s) must be identified in the proposal. The maximum award is $30,000.

MIT-Mexico - Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla Seed Fund -- The Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP) is the oldest and largest university in Puebla, Mexico. The MIT-Mexico - Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla Seed Fund supports new collaborations between faculty and research scientists at MIT and their counterparts at Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla. Through an annual call for proposals, the fund primarily supports travel costs for exchange between a team at MIT and colleagues at Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla​. The Mexican colleague(s) must be identified in the proposal. The maximum award is $30,000.

MIT-Mexico - Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores Monterrey Seed Fund -- Based in Monterrey, Mexico, the Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores has 31 campuses in 25 cities throughout the country and is known for becoming the first university ever connected to the Internet in Latin America and the Spanish-speaking world, having one of the top graduate business schools in the region and being one of the leaders in patent applications among Mexican universities. The MIT-Mexico - Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores Monterrey ​Seed Fund supports new collaborations between faculty and research scientists at MIT and their counterparts at Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores Monterrey. Through an annual call for proposals, the fund primarily supports travel costs for exchange between a team at MIT and colleagues at all campuses of the Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores Monterrey (ITESM)​​. The Mexican colleague(s) must be identified in the proposal. The maximum award is $30,000.

MIT-Mexico - Veracruz Seed Fund -- Veracruz is rich in natural resources and represents approximately 35 percent of Mexico’s water supply. An important source of iron and copper, Veracruz also produces such non-metallic minerals as sulfur, silica, feldspar, calcium, kaolin and marble.The MIT-Mexico - Veracruz Seed Fund supports new collaborations between faculty and research scientists at MIT and their counterparts in the state of Veracruz, Mexico. Through an annual call for proposals, the fund primarily supports travel costs for exchange between a team at MIT and colleagues in Veracruz, Mexico​​. The Mexican colleague(s) must be identified in the proposal. The maximum award is $30,000.