CENIT - Centro de Investigaciones para la Transformación

What CENIT - Centro de Investigaciones para la Transformación does

CENIT (Centro de Investigaciones para la Transformación) is an interdisciplinary, non-profit academic research center based in San Martín, Argentina, operating within the Escuela de Economía y Negocios of the Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM) since 2018. Founded in 1993, the center brings together more than twenty researchers from economics, sociology, geography, industrial design, and anthropology — many holding CONICET appointments — and applies neo-Schumpeterian economics, science and technology studies, and participatory action research methodologies. Its work spans three core areas: productive development and innovation, science, technology and innovation (STI) policy, and participation and knowledge, with research projects on bioeconomy, lithium industrialization, agroecology, biotechnology startups, and COVID-19 vaccine R&D in Latin America.

CENIT's product portfolio combines research outputs, training, and applied initiatives. Key offerings include the four-year Doctorado en Economía de la Innovación (Doctoral Program in Innovation Economics), the Documentos de Trabajo de CENIT working paper series (published under CC BY-SA 4.0), the Bioleft open-source seed initiative combining participatory plant breeding with citizen science, the CoAct citizen science platform for environmental justice in the Matanza-Riachuelo basin (including the ¿Qué Pasa Riachuelo? open digital platform), and research projects on agroecological 4.0 technologies and open hardware. Methodological differentiators include Living Labs and TLABs for co-creation, open-source seed systems, and participatory breeding evaluation protocols.

The center generates revenue through commissioned research, policy advisory services, and evaluation work for national and subnational government agencies and international development organizations including IDB, World Bank, European Commission, CEPAL, UNIDO, UNDP, GIZ, and IICA. Its go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, supplemented by event-driven engagement through conferences, workshops, and living labs. Funding flows from project grants, doctoral tuition, and capacity-building programs; CENIT does not disclose pricing publicly. Distribution occurs through direct institutional engagement, open-access publication, and the on-site doctoral program.

Name

CENIT - Centro de Investigaciones para la Transformación

Legal name

Centro de Investigaciones para la Transformación (CENIT)

Website

https://cenit.unsam.edu.ar

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CENIT is an interdisciplinary non-profit research center at UNSAM in Argentina, employing 20+ researchers to deliver STI policy consulting, bioeconomy and agroecology research, a doctoral program in Innovation Economics, and citizen science platforms for government agencies and international development organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Martín

HQ country

Argentina

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Consultancy: Revenue from commissioned research, policy advisory services, and project evaluations for governments and international organizations such as IDB, World Bank, EU, and national agencies
2. Doctoral Program Tuition: Revenue from doctoral education programs in innovation economics, including the Doctorate in Innovation Economics (4-year program with ministerial resolution)
3. Training and Capacity Building: Short courses, workshops, and capacity building programs for government officials, civil servants, and organizational partners on participatory methodologies, foresight, and STI policies

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CENIT is a non-profit university research center that produces interdisciplinary research, policy advisory services, and doctoral education in innovation economics and science, technology and innovation (STI) policy. It commissions and conducts applied research for governments and international organizations, offers the Doctorado en Economía de la Innovación as a four-year graduate program, and runs citizen science and open-source seed initiatives such as Bioleft and CoAct. The center combines academic research with direct engagement in policy design, evaluation, and productive development strategy across Argentina and Latin America.

Product overview

CENIT is an interdisciplinary research center that does not offer a unified software product but rather provides research, training, and knowledge dissemination services. Its portfolio includes the Doctorado en Economía de la Innovación (doctoral program), the Documentos de Trabajo de CENIT (working paper series), and several research initiatives: Bioleft (open source seeds with participatory breeding), CoAct (citizen science platform for environmental justice with the QPR digital platform), and specialized research projects on bioeconomy, agricultural technologies 4.0, and innovation economics. These offerings work together through the center's integrated approach to research, training, and transformation activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Doctorado en Economía de la Innovación A 4-year doctoral program in Innovation Economics offered by CENIT-EEyN-UNSAM, providing theoretical and methodological tools to critically analyze innovation processes, their constraints, and their economic, social, and environmental impacts for graduates in economics, social sciences, and environmental sciences.
• Documentos de Trabajo de CENIT Periodic publication series disseminating research results on science, technology, and innovation, focused on transformation toward economic, social, and environmental sustainability, distributed under a CC BY-SA 4.0 open license to the academic and policy community.
• Bioleft Open-source seeds initiative combining participatory plant breeding with citizen science to develop seed varieties adapted to Argentina's environmental and sociocultural diversity through participatory trials, digital tools, and collaborative breeding evaluation protocols.
• CoAct - Citizen Science for Environmental Justice Social citizen science initiative for environmental justice in the Matanza-Riachuelo basin, co-designing research with community actors and providing the open digital platform '¿Qué Pasa Riachuelo?' (QPR) for citizen-generated environmental data and community-based monitoring.
• Collaborative Evaluation Protocol for Creole Tomatoes Structured and flexible methodology published on protocols.io for organizing decentralized trials, collecting agronomic and sensory observations, and facilitating collective decision-making in participatory breeding programs for creole tomatoes.

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and moderate.

• Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIDB is a key institutional partner supporting CENIT's research on productive development, innovation ecosystems, and bioeconomy in Latin America. The partnership involves commissioned research, strategic analysis, and participation in regional development initiatives.
• CONICETcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArgentina's National Scientific and Technical Research Council hosts multiple CENIT researchers as CONICET investigators, enabling access to national research funding and institutional scientific infrastructure.
• European CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe EU supports CENIT through Horizon 2020 and other framework programs, enabling participation in international research consortia on innovation and sustainability transitions.
• World Bank GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on analytical work and advisory services related to technology, innovation, and productive development policies in developing country contexts.
• CEPAL (ECLAC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEconomic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean works with CENIT on research regarding development, technology policies, and productive transformation in the region.
• UNIDOmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnited Nations Industrial Development Organization collaborates on analysis of industrial development, innovation capabilities, and productive transformation in Latin America.
• UNSAM (Universidad Nacional de San Martín)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCENIT has been part of UNSAM's School of Economics and Business since 2018, providing institutional hosting, academic programs, and administrative support.
• UNDPmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnited Nations Development Programme collaborates on development research, innovation for sustainability, and capacity building initiatives.
• Future EarthmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal research platform for sustainability enables CENIT participation in international research networks focused on global environmental change and sustainability transformations.
• GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman development agency cooperates on sustainability transitions, environmental governance, and capacity building projects.
• IICA (Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInter-American agricultural agency collaborates on bioeconomy research, rural development, and agricultural innovation policies.
• UKRI (UK Research and Innovation)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK research funding agency supports collaborative research projects on innovation, sustainability, and development.
• Brown UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS university collaborates on comparative research regarding social movements, environmental conflicts, and science and technology studies.
• SNIS (Swiss National Centre for Scientific Research)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss research institution collaborates on international research projects and academic exchange.
• Agencia IDIARmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerArgentine science agency collaborates on national science communication and citizen science initiatives.
• FARN (Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental NGO is a key partner in the CoAct citizen science project for environmental justice in the Matanza-Riachuelo basin, collaborating on co-design of research with community stakeholders.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Open Source Seed Initiative (OSSI): US-based nonprofit enabling open licensing and free exchange of plant genetic resources. Directly comparable to CENIT's Bioleft initiative in mission and approach, though operating in a different geography with a North American seed-network focus.
• CIPPEC (Center for the Implementation of Public Policies for Equity and Growth): Argentina-based independent policy think tank producing evidence-based research on public policy, productive development, and innovation. Highly comparable to CENIT in target audience (Argentine government and international funders), research-driven advisory model, and bilingual LATAM policy focus.
• Public Lab: Open-source community developing DIY tools and citizen-science methods for environmental monitoring. Directly comparable to CENIT's CoAct/QPR platform in participatory environmental data collection and open methodology publication.
• UNU-MERIT (United Nations University – Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology): United Nations research and graduate school on innovation economics, technology policy, and development — and the doctoral alma mater of CENIT's director. Directly comparable in research themes, PhD training, and engagement with multilateral policy processes in developing countries.
• FLACSO (Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences): Regional intergovernmental social-science institution offering postgraduate programs and policy research across Latin America. Comparable to CENIT in doctoral education, interdisciplinary research, and positioning as a regional hub for policy-relevant social-science work.
• Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition: Leading European research institute on innovation economics, intellectual property, and competition policy. Comparable to CENIT in academic rigor on innovation economics, doctoral training, and production of working papers and policy briefs.
• SPRU – Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex: Globally recognized research unit focused on science, technology, and innovation policy with doctoral training. Closely comparable to CENIT in neo-Schumpeterian innovation economics methodology, doctoral program structure, and STI policy advisory work for governments and international bodies.

Broad incumbents

• RAND Corporation: Global policy research institution with deep government and international-organization client base. Comparable to CENIT in research-driven consulting model, but operates at significantly larger scale and broader thematic scope.
• Brookings Institution: Large, established US-based policy research organization producing reports and advisory work across economics and development. Comparable to CENIT in delivering evidence-based policy advice to governments and international organizations, but operating at much greater scale and across many more policy domains.

Others

• IICA (Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture): Inter-American agency specializing in agricultural development and bioeconomy across the Americas and a current CENIT partner. Comparable in regional bioeconomy and agroecology research scope, though IICA is an intergovernmental body rather than an academic research center.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cenit_eeynunsam
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC5-SQrgzyHD1MnR0rCxnifQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/cenit.eeyn.unsam
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ceniteeynunsam
• Instagraminstagram.com/cenit_eeynunsam

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CENIT - Centro de Investigaciones para la Transformación