Centro de Innovación, Productividad y Desarrollo Tecnológico (Center for Innovation, Productivity, and Technological Development, CINTEL) announced that the European Union will serve as guest of honor at ANDICOM 2026, Latin America’s most influential business and technology congress and a benchmark for strategic dialogue on technology, business and public policy in the region.
The bloc’s participation is its first strategic collaboration with the region through ANDICOM, a congress with 41 years of history. It is also a vote of confidence from Colombia’s largest foreign technology investor: the European Union accounts for 22% of foreign direct investment in the country’s technology sector and has generated more than 120,000 jobs.
Year after year, ANDICOM draws more than 6,200 attendees from over 35 countries, along with business leaders, government officials, investors and global experts who gather to debate and set the direction of digital transformation in the region. ANDICOM 2025 drew roughly 6,200 attendees to Cartagena, and organizers expect this year’s edition, with the EU’s participation, to mark a new level of cooperation between Colombia, Latin America and Europe.
“ANDICOM is the most influential stage for technology and innovation in Latin America,” said François Roudié, Ambassador of the European Union to Colombia.
With 27 member states and standing as the world’s most significant economic bloc, the European Union arrives at ANDICOM 2026 to strengthen cooperation with Colombia on artificial intelligence, innovation and technological development. Beyond being the country’s largest foreign technology investor, the EU shares with ANDICOM a vision of responsible, people-centered digitalization, aligned with the goal of turning technology into an engine of progress, innovation and sustainable development for the region.
“The European Union’s participation in ANDICOM 2026 reflects a shared vision of digital transformation as an engine of economic and social development. This alliance allows us to connect Colombia and Latin America with one of the world’s most advanced ecosystems in innovation, investment and technological development,” said Manuel Martínez Niño, Executive Director of CINTEL.
Now in its 41st edition, ANDICOM will open its academic agenda on September 1 with a pre-congress at the Hotel Faranda Collection, followed by the main congress from September 2 to 4 at the Complejo Las Américas in Cartagena. This year’s theme, “Unleashing the Power of AI,” will examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping business productivity, economic competitiveness and institutional transformation in the digital era.
François Roudié, Ambassador of the European Union to Colombia, said: “It is an honor to bring Europe to ANDICOM 2026. This alliance reflects the strength of our relationship with Colombia and our commitment to building an innovative, secure and people-centered digital economy. ANDICOM is the most influential stage for technology and innovation in Latin America. Being here is a strategic opportunity to strengthen cooperation, drive European investment in the region and advance a joint agenda that promotes digital transformation as an engine of sustainable and inclusive growth.”
The EU’s participation carries particular weight for digital transformation, where the adoption of emerging technologies and coordination between public and private actors are essential to boosting productivity, closing digital gaps and promoting more inclusive, sustainable growth. The alliance between CINTEL and the European Union also comes at a pivotal moment, as artificial intelligence becomes a central pillar of competitiveness, linking this global conversation to one of the world’s most advanced ecosystems in technological development, digital regulation and innovation.
With the European Union as guest of honor, ANDICOM 2026 is positioned as the venue where Colombia, Latin America and Europe will converge to build a joint digital agenda, forge strategic alliances and advance decisions that will shape the region’s digital future.
About ANDICOM
ANDICOM is Latin America’s most influential digital-ecosystem congress and the region’s leading platform for strategic dialogue on technology, business and public policy. Organized by CINTEL, the congress convenes business leaders, public officials, technology experts, academics and investors each year to examine the impact of digital technologies on the economy and society. In its 41st edition, ANDICOM 2026 will run under the theme “Unleashing the Power of AI,” centering the conversation on artificial intelligence’s impact on business productivity, economic competitiveness and institutional development in the region.
About CINTEL
CINTEL works to advance productivity and competitiveness through the use of information and communications technology, developing projects that support sustainable digital evolution. Founded in 1991, CINTEL is recognized as Colombia’s most experienced entity in ICT innovation and technological development projects, and it organizes ANDICOM each year. Recognized as an Innovation and Productivity Center by MinCiencias under Resolution No. 0087 of February 17, 2026, CINTEL is part of Colombia’s Sistema Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación (National System of Science, Technology and Innovation, SNCTeI).
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