Barranquilla, July 9, 2025 — As part of the OECD Local Development Forum taking place in Barranquilla, the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce (CCB) presented its main structural initiative to multilateral organizations, public leaders, and national and international entrepreneurs: the Bogotá Science, Technology and Innovation Campus (CTIB). This strategic project is already beginning to operate as a national hub for innovation, connectivity, and talent development.

Although still in the early stages of construction, the CTIB Campus is already bringing together key players from the knowledge ecosystem across the country. Its vision is clear: to become a national platform for science, technology, and productive transformation, capable of connecting businesses, universities, governments, and citizens around high-impact solutions.

"The Campus is not just a Bogotá project. It's an open platform for the entire country. It's a space designed for companies, universities, governments, and citizens to meet and co-create solutions through science, technology, and innovation," said Ovidio Claros Polanco, Executive President of the CCB.

The initiative is the result of a public-private partnership between the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce, the Bogotá Mayor’s Office (through the Atenea Agency and the Secretariat for Economic Development), Corferias, SENA, and the compensation funds Colsubsidio, Cafam, and Compensar. With an investment exceeding 500 billion Colombian pesos, the Campus is being built in a strategic urban renewal area covering 247 hectares in the heart of Bogotá.

The building will feature a 23-story infrastructure spanning more than 44,000 square meters, with coworking spaces, offices for tech-based companies, laboratories, commercial areas, and wellness zones. Beyond its physical structure, the Campus is already advancing with concrete initiatives such as:

• Bogotá Innovation Center (in partnership with Ecopetrol), serving as a pilot for ecosystem activation;

• Friends of the Campus, a national network of partners;

• Campus on the Move, a traveling strategy bringing knowledge and innovation to universities and companies in different regions.

"We believe in collaboration as the engine of change. This is a call for cities like Barranquilla, Medellín, Bucaramanga, and Cali to actively join the Campus. Knowledge knows no borders, and the future is built through networks," Claros concluded.

International recognition of the role of chambers

The presentation of the CTIB Campus took place in the context of the launch of the OECD study “Chambers of Commerce and the Business of Skills”, developed in partnership with Eurochambres and the ICC. The study recognizes the strategic role of chambers of commerce as bridges between the education system and the labor market—facilitators of dual training, skills upgrading, and direct support for MSMEs.

The report was officially presented on July 8 to the Board of Directors of Confecámaras, highlighting the impact of chambers as key players in regional economic development.

"The study reaffirms something that we at the CCB and AICO have long promoted: chambers have the territorial reach, legitimacy, and technical capacity to translate international recommendations into concrete actions that directly benefit MSMEs and the business ecosystem," said Claros, who also serves as Vice President of AICO for the Andean Region.

The Bogotá Chamber of Commerce's participation in the OECD Forum makes clear its commitment to knowledge-based productive transformation and its leadership in building a national platform for innovation and talent.