Mission: To empower engineering students through the development of professional and technical competencies by applying emerging technologies, focused on solving high-impact problems related to the Sustainable Development Goals. The project aims to inspire and motivate students to early understand the relevance of their profession as a key tool for generating solutions in real and challenging environments, thereby maximizing their employability opportunities.

Vision: To be a reference in the training of future-ready engineers, who through the integration of innovative methodologies such as Engineering Design and Project-Based Learning, acquire the technical and soft skills necessary to lead technological solutions to high-impact problems in underserved sectors, contributing to sustainable development and technological innovation. 

Problem: Many engineering students face difficulties entering the labor market due to a lack of practical experience and the disconnect between what they learn in the classroom and the real-world challenges they will face as professionals.
TechForGood Solution: The project offers students the opportunity to work on real projects aligned with high-impact problems, allowing them to apply their knowledge in real productive and social environments. This helps them acquire both technical skills and soft skills (leadership, communication, teamwork) needed for their future employability.

Problem: Many students do not understand the value of their engineering career and lack intrinsic motivation to develop their full potential.
TechForGood Solution: The project focuses on empowering students by showing them how their profession can be a key tool to solve social and business challenges. Through participation in projects with a tangible societal impact, students develop a sense of purpose and utility in their careers, increasing their motivation and commitment.

Problem: Advances in emerging technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), automation, sensors, and cloud computing, require engineers to acquire new technical skills to remain competitive in the job market.
TechForGood Solution: The project incorporates the use of emerging technologies in student-developed projects, allowing them to familiarize themselves with current tools and methods that are highly demanded by the industry. This strengthens their technical preparation and positions them as professionals with updated and relevant skills.

Problem: Soft skills such as leadership, creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork are essential in the workplace, but they are often not prioritized in traditional technical curricula.
TechForGood Solution: The project incorporates the development of soft skills as a core part of its approach. By working in teams and tackling complex real-world problems, students strengthen their communication, decision-making, and leadership skills, improving their ability to adapt and excel in collaborative work environments.

Problem: Many rural communities and social organizations in Ecuador lack adequate technological solutions to improve their productivity and quality of life.
TechForGood Solution: Students develop technological prototypes aimed at these sectors, such as automation systems for the rural sector or technologies to improve learning in educational institutions. These projects not only benefit the communities by solving critical problems but also provide students with meaningful experience by applying their knowledge to projects with social impact.

Problem: Many engineering students lack experience in practical and creative methodologies used to solve complex problems in the industry.
TechForGood Solution: The project combines innovative methodologies such as Engineering Design and Project-Based Learning (PBL), allowing students to follow a structured and professional approach to addressing high-impact problems. This experience provides them with deep and practical knowledge that is valued by employers. 

To date, more than 300 engineering students from the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL) have participated in the TechForGood project. These students come from the Electronic Engineering, Telecommunications Engineering, Computer Engineering, and Industrial Engineering programs. 

Students have developed more than 60 technological prototypes, applied to real problems in rural productive sectors, social organizations, and special educational institutions.

The project has had a direct impact on more than 20 society's actors in the rural productive sector and social organizations, which not only contributes to community development and productive development but also demonstrates that students are capable of applying their knowledge in real-world work environments.

The combination of emerging technologies and the focus on sustainability in the engineering education process make TechForGood a key project to promote a more equitable and responsible development in rural communities and productive sectors, which contributes to the SDGs of the 2030 Agenda.

Students have produced more than 17 Scientific Publications and Patents related to the technological prototypes developed as part of the project. It is emphasized that, a Technological Patent has been obtained for an artificial vision system applied in a school for visually impaired children.

Students have participated in six public exhibitions, allowing them to receive direct feedback from internal and external stakeholders. Additionally, it has a multiplier effect on the community and organizations that join the initiative. 

The project has received several awards, such as the IEEE SIGHT Awards in 2020 and 2021, recognizing its impact on sustainable development. Additionally, the professors involved have been honored with awards like Inspirational Professor (UTPL) and Engineering Excellence Professor (IEEE Global). 

We have 6 reasons why this project is innovative:

1. Methodology integration: It effectively combines Engineering Design and Project-Based Learning (PBL), allowing students to work on real projects with a creative, systematic, and collaborative approach. Unlike conventional projects that are completed at the end of a semester, in TechForGood, projects are integrated throughout the course, promoting a deeper (experiential) immersion in the learning process.

2. Alignment with the SDGs: TechForGood’s focus on solving high-impact problems aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the context of engineering education makes it an innovative initiative by integrating social and environmental responsibility into the teaching process.

3. Application of emerging technologies: The project not only addresses real and relevant problems but also does so through the application of emerging technologies such as IoT, automation, mechatronics, and cloud computing.

4. Direct impact on underserved sectors: Unlike many academic projects that focus on controlled or simulated environments, TechForGood focuses on underserved sectors of the rural productive environment and small businesses, applying the technological solutions developed by students in real, high-impact scenarios.

5. Focus on soft skills development: In addition to technical skills, the project emphasizes strengthening soft skills such as leadership, creativity, teamwork, and intrinsic motivation for their future profession. This focus on soft skills is uncommon in traditional technical projects, setting it apart by better-preparing students for the workforce.

6. Public presentation of results: The project encourages the public presentation of students' results, allowing them to interact with internal and external stakeholders, receive direct feedback, and strengthen their communication and professional presentation skills. This creates a multiplying effect for future editions of the project.