Students from Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG) Campus Altiplano have secured first place in the third edition of the ILAN 2025 University Innovation Awards with their project, EcoTul. The event, which promotes new solutions and entrepreneurship among university students, gathered 44 projects from 127 young people representing seven universities across Guatemala.
The awards ceremony took place at the Juan Bautista Gutiérrez Auditorium. Each participating university had two teams recognized to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship among students. Winners will also have the opportunity to travel to Israel in July 2026 to learn about that country's innovation model.
EcoTul aims to promote regenerative tourism in Atitlán, Sololá. The team is composed of UVG Campus Altiplano students who integrated ancestral knowledge into efforts for tul plant conservation and developed environmental education activities. They also created a brand for sustainable products using circular economy principles around Lake Atitlán. Their main product offers visitors a canoe tour, demonstrations on planting and harvesting tul, craft workshops, and tastings of local cuisine.
Additionally, the team produced crafts made from tul and developed an organic fertilizer using tul residues and other natural materials. The tul plant is native to Lake Atitlán; it supports water filtration and oxygenation while providing habitat for local fauna. The EcoTul team members are Abner Chopén, Sara Gallardo, Juan Francisco Gerardi, Stephany Vail, and María Dina Suy.
The second-place award for UVG went to ZeolitAR. This project involved synthesizing zeolite from sugarcane bagasse ash—an abundant organic waste—to capture heavy metals in water. By transforming industrial waste into a valuable material, ZeolitAR demonstrated innovative potential for addressing scientific challenges. Team members include Dulce Pozuelos, Christian Smith, Joseph Portales, and Katherine Arreaga.
Mario Nathusius, CEO of ILAN Guatemala, commented on building collaborative ecosystems: “Trabajar juntos suma mucho más, porque la idea de una persona le abre la mente al otro y eso suele producir mejores efectos. Si un emprendedor necesita conocimiento en un área, llama a un amigo que sepa de física o química, por ejemplo.”
Dr. Mónica Stein, Vice-Rector of Research at UVG encouraged students regarding their upcoming trip: “Conocerán gente muy interesante, líderes y expertos en distintas áreas. No tengan pena de preguntar. Escuchen, observen y analicen. Ustedes hablan el mismo lenguaje en distinta escala, pero con el mismo espíritu y deseo.”
Both EcoTul and ZeolitAR were commended for strengthening scientific innovation through resource management and use of plants.
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