When people think about Boyaca, they usually picture mountains, potatoes, and independence battles. Now, there is a new image on the list, young people with lab notebooks, laptops, and business ideas using science to fix real problems in their towns.
The launch of “Jovenes en Ciencia para la Paz – Capitulo Boyaca” (Youth in Science for Peace – Boyaca Chapter) in Tunja shows how the region wants to mix research, entrepreneurship, and peacebuilding, with money and mentoring for young talent from 62 municipalities. It is science, but with muddy boots.
A new chapter, what the Boyaca call offers
The program arrived in Boyaca with more than COP1,700,000,000, around US$446,000, from the national government and partners. That budget will support 50 young people between 18 and 28 years old who have scientific or technological ideas rooted in their territory.
During the launch at Universidad Pedagogica y Tecnologica de Colombia, or UPTC, officials explained objectives, phases, and rules. They detailed how applicants can join, what kind of projects are welcome, and how the ministry and the university will guide them step by step through training and project design.
Selected participants get an integral package, training in research and innovation, mentoring, business skills, and up to COP20,000,000, about US$5,300, to turn their idea, prototype, or startup into something concrete in their community.
The support is not only money. It also includes access to events, spaces to show results, and technical advice so that projects do not stay on paper or end the day when the funding runs out.
Who can apply and what kind of projects are needed
The call is open to young people from 62 municipalities, from places like Almeida and Aquitania to Puerto Boyaca and Viracacha. The goal is to reach rural zones, small towns, and areas often left out of national programs and big research centers.
Projects must connect science and technology with real local needs. The lines include bioeconomy and sustainable production, tourism and creative culture, digital transformation and applied technologies, and social and community innovation.
That could mean, for example, turning agricultural waste into new products, creating tourism routes linked to culture and nature, or designing digital tools that make local services more fair and efficient. The key is that ideas answer a clear problem.
Authorities also stress that projects should involve more people, such as farmers, community groups, or small businesses, so that knowledge and benefits do not stay in a single team.
Boyaca as ‘cradle of knowledge’ and part of a national network
The ministry calls Boyaca a “cradle of knowledge” for a reason. Between 2022 and 2025, it financed 33 projects there with around COP64,756,000,000, about US$17 million, in areas such as agroindustry, energy transition, climate, biodiversity, and health.
These projects supported universities, research centers, companies, and rural communities, building a base of experience that the new youth program can now use. Young people will not start from zero; they can connect with labs, mentors, and networks already active in the region.
Countrywide, “Jovenes en Ciencia para la Paz” already involves more than 260 young people in places such as Tumaco, Quibdo, Buenaventura, San Andres, and Bogota’s Ciudad Bolivar. Boyaca enters a group of territories where science is seen as a tool for rights and peace.
This network allows ideas to travel. A solution tested in Boyaca for climate‑smart farming might later inspire similar projects in other rural regions, and lessons from the Pacific coast can help design initiatives in Andean municipalities.
Science for peace, not just for papers
The program’s name is not just decoration. “Ciencia para la Paz” is a mission that wants science to help reduce violence, close gaps, and offer better life options in territories that often face poverty, conflict, or exclusion.
In Boyaca, that can mean projects that create jobs, improve local production chains, protect water and forests, or give young people new paths beyond migration or informal work. The idea is that knowledge becomes a daily tool, not a distant concept.
Authorities insist that the real bet is on talent and hope. The goal is for youth to see science, technology, and innovation as ways to solve everyday problems, from crop diseases to waste management, while building fairer and more peaceful communities.
Local voices, such as UPTC researchers and departmental officials, underline that this is also about dignity. When a young person from a small town leads a project and gets recognition, the message is that rural and small‑city knowledge also counts.
A new generation putting science to work for peace
With “Jovenes en Ciencia para la Paz – Capitulo Boyaca,” the department adds a new chapter to its long story with knowledge. This time, the main characters are 50 young people who will turn ideas into projects, and projects into changes in their municipalities.
If the plan works as expected, Boyaca will not only be known for its history and landscapes, but also for a generation of young scientists and entrepreneurs who chose science as their way to build peace and new futures at home.