On the role of R&D in e-government in Ecuador: Strategic plan in ICT for Ecuador in the field of information society and e-government

Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) has become an essential tool for development worldwide. As several literature studies confirm, the development of the ICT industry and the massification of internet use conveys important social and economical benefits. Research, development and innovation (R&D&i) activities are crucial for countries in order to improve the social welfare, and the competitiveness and productivity of their economies. This impact is especially more important in developing countries. In that sense the Ecuadorian Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Society (MINTEL), in cooperation with the National Institute of Pre-Investment (INP) decided to develop an Strategic Plan of Research, Development and Innovation for ICT in Ecuador for the period 2014–2018, with the help of a Spanish consultancy company and a couple of research institutions. The paper describes briefly the methodology, development, and the concrete proposal of the Strategic Plan, including a complete analysis and diagnosis of the current situation, identification of the strong and weak points of ICT in Ecuador, the objectives and indicators of the Plan and its global structure. In particular, a dedicated programme for the development of the Information Society in Ecuador is described in some detail, where R&D&i in e-government plays a key role.