They unveiled the Tec LiFT Lab, a center dedicated to promoting research, artificial intelligence, and applied technology for small businesses in Mexico and Latin America.
Thousands of small businesses face daily challenges related to their growth, sales, or survival. A laboratory established at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) aims to help solve these problems in Mexico.
Tecnológico de Monterrey has launched the Tec LiFT Lab in collaboration with the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics (CTL) to develop technology, artificial intelligence, and applied research for small businesses and microentrepreneurs in Latin America.
Javier Guzmán, Vice President of Research at the Tecnológico de Monterrey Education Group, explains the goal of the new laboratory: “We want to use applied research and innovation to transform societies”.
The initiative aims to promote the digitalization, resilience, and growth of these businesses through technological tools, innovative methodologies, and applied research in supply chain management.
“We believe this project has the potential to change the world”, said Josué Velázquez, Director of the Tec’s AI for Manufacturing and Supply Chain Institute (AIMS).
A lab that links research, AI, and convenience stores
Beyond a traditional laboratory, the Tec LiFT Lab aims to be a space where industry, students, researchers, and technology come together to solve the real-world problems faced by small businesses and microentrepreneurs in Latin America.
Through this initiative, Tecnológico de Monterrey aims to bring together artificial intelligence, applied research, and industry to develop tailored solutions for small businesses: convenience stores.
The initiative was launched at the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics (CTL) several years ago, but its official launch in Mexico marks the beginning of its new phase as the Tec LiFT Lab.
This phase aims to expand the laboratory’s regional reach, bringing world-class research and solutions to communities and small businesses in Mexico, as well as throughout Latin America.
According to Javier Guzmán, the goal of this collaboration is not only to develop new projects but also to create ecosystems where students, researchers, and industry can work together to solve complex problems.
Furthermore, the goal is to apply the results of the research to concrete measures and scalable interventions that have a social and economic impact.
The Tec is already working on this initiative. Since 2023, students and faculty from various Tec campuses have been collaborating with the MIT LiFT Lab to conduct field research on the challenges faced by small businesses in our country.
More than 8,000 students have participated in this collaboration.
“Most of what we teach comes from the largest companies in the developed world and does not reflect reality in Mexico or other parts of Latin America”.- Josué Velázquez
A concept that began nearly a decade ago at MIT
The idea for the Tec LiFT Lab originated when Josué Velázquez arrived at MIT as a researcher and discovered a contradiction that would eventually become the foundation of the project.
“Most of the knowledge we teach comes from the largest companies in the developed world and does not reflect the reality we experience in Mexico and other parts of Latin America”.
This observation led to a question: What if research, technology, and artificial intelligence were designed with small businesses in mind?
The project began with seed funding, literature reviews, workshops, applied research, and students participating in projects designed to better understand the challenges faced by microenterprises in developing countries.
Over time, that initiative evolved into the LiFT Lab, a lab dedicated to developing tools, conducting research, and creating solutions for small businesses.
What will the Tec LiFT Lab investigate?
In addition to the laboratory’s inauguration, the event highlighted the research areas that could shape the initiative’s future.
Matthias Winkenbach, Research Director at the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics (CTL), said that supply chains and the manufacturing industry are facing a situation that is radically different from what it was just a few years ago:
- Consumers with higher expectations,
- Faster delivery times,
- Geopolitical uncertainty, and
- Increasingly complex systems.
“Industries need tools that allow them to view their supply chains or manufacturing systems as a whole”.
According to the MIT researcher, the next step will be to create systems capable of linking different artificial intelligence tools together in order to solve complex problems.
“The true value emerges when these systems exchange information with one another”.
He explained that implementing artificial intelligence is less of a technological challenge than an organizational one.
“Preparing a supply chain or manufacturing system for AI is more a matter of change management than a technological problem”.
Expanding from Latin America
According to MIT officials, the LiFT Lab achieved something rare: it combines economic impact, social impact, rigorous research, and student training.
“There are very few labs at MIT that have had such a big impact in such a short time”, said Matthias Winkenbach.
According to Karla Valenzuela, Regional Dean of Engineering and Sciences for the Mexico City region, the impact of the Tec LiFT LAB cannot be measured solely in terms of scientific publications or technological projects.
“Success will be measured by the lives we help improve through our work”.
One of the most significant aspects has been seeing thousands of students from different campuses participate in challenges focused on solving problems that affect low-income communities and small businesses, said the Tec dean.
Finally, from MIT’s perspective, the next step is to expand the laboratory from its new headquarters in Mexico to the rest of Latin America.
According to Matthias Winkenbach: “This is the perfect place to grow in Latin America”.
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