AstraZeneca Launches Innovation Accelerator with Tec de Monterrey

AstraZeneca’s Global Innovation and Technology Centre (GITC) in Guadalajara enthusiastically announces the launch of its Innovation Space Accelerator. This intensive eight-week program, developed in partnership with Tecnológico de Monterrey, aims to accelerate employee-led projects in artificial intelligence, data analytics, sustainability, and human resources technology.

Driven by Tec de Monterrey’s Eugenio Garza Lagüera Institute for Entrepreneurship (IEEGL), the corporate accelerator will offer selected GITC Guadalajara teams professional mentorship, entrepreneurship training, and resources to tackle operational and technological challenges. Teams will focus on leveraging data intelligence, building AI applications, advancing sustainability initiatives, and developing technology to enhance employee capabilities.

The program will culminate on November 21st with pitch presentations at Tec de Monterrey’s Guadalajara campus, where winning projects may receive additional funding and resources for implementation.

Program Structure:

• Duration: Eight weeks of intensive acceleration activities
• Participants: Selected GITC Guadalajara teams from various functional areas
• Mentorship: Weekly virtual workshops with expert mentors from Tec de Monterrey’s network
• Focus: Problem identification, solution development, customer discovery, and prototyping
• Outcome: In-person pitch event on November 21st, with funding opportunities for the best solutions

The alliance leverages IEEGL’s track record, which has accelerated over 540 entrepreneurial projects generating an average of $52 million in annual sales. The institute will guide GITC teams through a structured methodology to help them develop an an entrepreneurial mindset and validate their solutions.

“Corporate accelerators represent a powerful model for driving innovation within established organizations,” noted Luis Miguel Almanza Rueda, Director of Tec de Monterrey’s IEEGL. “By offering AstraZeneca teams startup-style mentorship and resources, we help them move from idea to implementation with speed and rigor.”

“This accelerator provides our teams with the tools to transform challenges into solutions,” said Luis Toxtli, Innovation Lead at AstraZeneca GITC Guadalajara. “We are creating an environment where employees can experiment with AI, data, and sustainability, and deliver results.”

Since its opening in 2016, AstraZeneca GITC Guadalajara has grown to over 1,000 employees and contributes more than $90 million annually to Jalisco’s economy through salaries, local procurement, and related economic activity. The facility supports AstraZeneca’s global operations in oncology, rare diseases, and the cardiovascular, respiratory, and immunology therapeutic areas.

The company maintains a commitment to fostering a culture of continuous learning and development. By strengthening and evolving its capabilities, AstraZeneca empowers its people to challenge conventions and explore new possibilities, pushing the boundaries of science to generate a significant impact on the lives of patients worldwide. The company encourages everyone to adopt a growth mindset through constant learning and the acquisition of new skills.

The Innovation Space Accelerator is designed to position GITC Guadalajara as an innovation hub within AstraZeneca’s global network, fostering cross-functional collaboration, connecting internal talent with external academic resources, and building scalable innovation frameworks. Participating teams will work on projects aligned with GITC’s operational priorities, and successful solutions could be scaled to other global AstraZeneca innovation and technology centers.

The post first appeared on Líder Empresarial.