Anáhuac LABS Opening Day Tour: a milestone for engineering with a human touch

Students from the School of Engineering receive the keys to the Anáhuac LABS building, Mexico's first technological innovation cluster.

“At Anáhuac University, there is one conviction that we will not compromise on: technology only makes sense when it serves people.” 

Dr. Cipriano Sánchez García, L.C.,
Rector of Anáhuac México University

The Anáhuac LABS Opening Day Tour was held on January 28, 2026, at the North Campus of Anáhuac Mexico University. The event brought together academic authorities, directors of schools and departments, students and professors, administrative staff, prominent business partners, graduates serving as advisors, as well as special guests of the School of Engineering in the Saint John Paul II Hall.

Dr. Brenda Retana Blanco, interim director of the School of Engineering, began the ceremony by calling on students to use Anáhuac LABS to experiment, to convert failures into data and try again: "Follow the scientific rigor that Leo XIII called for and the human compassion that Pope Francis spoke of. May your time at this School be more than just obtaining a degree; may it be about becoming engineers of a more just world," she said in her message. She also reminded those present that technology is hollow progress when it is not used to protect our shared home and the most vulnerable.

Next, Mario Buenrostro Perdomo, the director of Anáhuac LABS, began his speech by thanking the students, who, he said, “are the motivation behind what we do.”

He also acknowledged that this opening is a milestone, presenting a new space that is just the framework and that it will be the students who help to define and build it. "Here, you will achieve your goals, strengthen your academic training, take advantage of emerging technologies, apply engineering in a practical way and prepare to lead the future. Anáhuac LABS is a platform where technological innovation is turned into positive action, a meeting point, a space where human creativity converges with cutting-edge technologies, a forum where everyone is a protagonist,“ he added. To conclude his speech, he invited those present to take a tour of the building through the “eyes” of a drone.
 

Another highlight was the participation of Alan Soubran Cauich, a Mechatronics Engineering student  and winner of the ILAN Award for University Innovation 2022. He is also the creator of “Unblind,” a startup that produces smart glasses designed for individuals with visual impairments, which also earned him first place in the eAwards Mexico in 2024.

In his message, Alan noted that Anáhuac LABS is a space dedicated to innovation, where its members can be authentic, share their ideas without fear of judgment and build whatever they set their minds to. “It is a place that understands that creativity needs freedom, but it also needs support.”

“I am convinced that this place will educate the next generation of inventors, entrepreneurs and dreamers who will transform our country and our world. Because if we want to go far, we cannot do it alone. We need mentors to guide us, teachers to challenge us, peers to inspire us and a place that protects and defends our dreams, even when the world tells us they are impossible,” he said.

The event also featured testimonials from industry leaders and graduates who spoke about the importance of this project for engineering and the future of work in a video.
 

Our rector, Dr. Cipriano Sánchez García, L.C., explained that this project began as a dream, grew into a shared vision and became a tangible reality, full of promise for future generations.

Rather than viewing Anáhuac LABS as merely a large infrastructure or a modern technology complex with laboratories for advanced robotics, applied artificial intelligence, industrial 3D printing, IoT simulation, sustainable design, clean energy and rapid prototyping spaces, the rector asked attendees to view it through the lens of the institutional mission.

“Anáhuac LABS is a living innovative ecosystem that respects humanity. Its spirit represents a new approach to training interdisciplinary, creative and deeply human engineers,” he said.

Finally, he declared that Anáhuac LABS should serve as a guiding light for students: “A space where technically brilliant minds and hearts willing to serve are formed. A place where ingenuity is not an end in itself, but a bridge to the common good. A home where ideas emerge that transform realities and solutions that we cannot yet imagine, but that the world desperately needs.”

Those attending the event witnessed the handover of the keys to the Anáhuac LABS building to the student societies of the School of Engineering’s North and South campuses. After the ceremony, they entered the new building to visit its facilities.

On the ground floor of the building, in front of two impressive electric cars –one of them inspired by a Maserati Boomerang–, Ignacio Ferrer García, a graduate and the coordinator of the School of Engineering’s Automotive Mechanics department, said that being able to work with these innovative technologies puts the Anáhuac at the forefront, setting it apart from other universities: 

“Anáhuac LABS is an opportunity for students to explore new technologies and carry out projects in conjunction with other departments. A building like this promotes professional development and allows graduates to return to their alma mater and continue collaborating together,” he added.

Alejandro Uribe Vargas, an eighth-semester Mechatronics Engineering student, said that this new project “represents enormous technological progress that will be a tremendous help to the team, especially for Electratón, a branch of national competitions.”

For Citlali López, a tenth-semester Mechatronics Engineering student, this new building is a dream come true, as well as an inspiration for new students, who "will have more opportunities than I did, since Engineering 5.0 has many new developments in artificial intelligence, mechatronics, biomedical engineering, environmental engineering and civil engineering. All the degree programs offered here will be able to develop significantly in the fields of technology and science."

This event marks a major step forward in the realization of the Anáhuac LABS project, Mexico's first technological innovation cluster that transforms learning into positive action and ideas into real solutions.

*Written by Arizbeth Monserrat Rivera Cabrera, Style Correction, Institutional Communication Department.