SANTIAGO, Chile and
TORONTO, Jan. 16, 2020 /CNW/ - Scotiabank, a leading
bank in the Americas, announced today a five-year academic
partnership with Federico Santa Maria University in Santiago, Chile to create the Scotiabank
Centre for Digital Transformation. As part of this academic
partnership, Scotiabank will invest USD$1,250,000 over five years benefitting an
estimated 6,000 students participating in the program.
The focus of the academic partnership is to enhance research and
development in digital innovation and encourage the participation
of women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM). According to a study by the Ministry of Women
and Gender Equity in 2018, only one in four females in Chile were enrolled in a STEM academic program
and only 5% of the STEM workforce is comprised of women. The
Scotiabank Centre for Digital Transformation will also establish a
wide variety of hands-on applied initiatives such as hackathons,
capstone projects and student internships in the fields of
cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and data analytics. This
investment will also support the creation of new events and digital
courses which will ensure students are able to complement their
theoretical learning with an applied experience.
"We are very proud of our academic partnership with Federico
Santa María University, one of the most recognized academic
institutions in the field of engineering and technological sciences
in the country and across the Pacific Alliance. We look forward to
continue advancing digital innovations in the fields of
cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and data analytics and
broaden the participation of women in the important fields of
science, technology, engineering and mathematics in Chile," said Ignacio (Nacho) Deschamps, Group
Head, International Banking & Digital Transformation at
Scotiabank.
"This will be our first formal collaboration with a Bank
regarding Digital Transformation. This partnership represents an
outstanding opportunity for our University to undertake research,
develop applied learning programs relevant to the financial sector,
and foster a more robust collaboration within the industry", said
Darcy Fuenzalida, Director of
Federico Santa María University.
Carlos Castro, Director of
Informatics Department at Federico Santa María University further
added, "For our University, this academic partnership is a great
opportunity to enhance our participation in relevant areas that we
have been working on for many years. There is no doubt that this
donation will strongly impact our activities carried out in
Valparaiso and Santiago and we will do our best to make the
optimal use of these resources for both academic and social
benefits."
Scotiabank's investment in academic institutions aims to
enhance, amplify and highlight the impact of digital technologies
in society. The Bank engages the best and brightest minds to ensure
that they acquire the skills necessary to support their success in
the digital economy. As part of this global initiative, Scotiabank
has established partnerships with top tier academic institutions
from around the world such as Queen's University, Western University, University
of Waterloo, University of
Toronto, University of Alberta,
and University of British Columbia in
Canada and Tec de Monterrey and
Universidad del Pacífico in the Pacific Alliance countries.
About Scotiabank
Scotiabank is a leading bank in the Americas. We are here for
every future. We help our customers, their families and their
communities achieve success through a broad range of advice,
products and services, including personal and commercial banking,
wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment
banking, and capital markets. With a team of more than 100,000
employees and assets of over $1
trillion (as at October 31,
2019), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:
BNS) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BNS). For more information,
please visit http://www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter
@ScotiabankViews.
SOURCE Scotiabank