This report was prepared by two divisions in the OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation (STI), led by Director Jerry Sheehan: the Productivity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (PIE) division, supporting the Committee on Industry, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the Digital Connectivity, Economics and Society (DCES) division, supporting the Digital Policy Committee (DPC).
This report was prepared by Tom McGee, Sara Romaniega Sancho, Lea Samek and Filipe Silva, with invaluable contributions from David Hoffman and Aden Klein, under the supervision and guidance of Guy Lalanne, Acting Head of the PIE Division. Chiara Criscuolo, Verena Weber and Molly Lesher, Head of the DCES Division, provided useful input and oversight. The leadership of STI Deputy Director, Audrey Plonk, on semiconductor policy is gratefully acknowledged.
The OECD Secretariat is grateful for the support of interlocutors from Panama’s Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MICI) and the National Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation (SENACYT), particularly Carlos Hoyos, Ángel Martínez, Ramón Martínez, Juan Mercado, Franklin Morales, Eduardo Ortega and Carlos Salinas. The Secretariat is grateful for the support from Tayra Barsallo, Zoila Castillo, Emerson Córdoba, Zuleima Dagher, Nicole Montúfar, Samuel Moreno, Dario Sandoval and Patricia Saucedo. Valuable input was also provided by Astrid Abrego, Marcelo Alvarez, Jeannette Granados and Galileo Solís.
The support of the team in MICI was invaluable in co-ordinating and enabling discussions in a fact-finding mission which took place on 12-15 March 2024 and included exchanges with the General Directorate of Revenue (DGI), the Government Innovation Authority (AIG), the Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MICI), the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Labour and Workforce Development, the National Customs Authority, the National Energy Secretariat, the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC), the National Metrology Center of Panama (CENAMEP AIP), PROPANAMA, SENACYT, and the Transit and Land Transportation Authority. The insights from a range of non-governmental stakeholders, including research institutes and universities, industry stakeholders and business associations and chambers of commerce were also very helpful. The discussions with the Government Innovation Authority and the Panama Canal Authority on 12 December 2024 are also gratefully acknowledged.
Additional statistical, analytical and empirical support from Mario Alejandro Nieves, Damiano Morando, and Hélène Dernis was warmly appreciated. Administrative, editorial and technical support from Anaísa Gonçalves, Shai Somek, Andreia Furtado and Eleonore Morena was invaluable.
This project benefitted from financial support from the United States Department of State. Input from key interlocutors including Virginia Kent, Mark Simeone, Richard Román and their teams was received at various stages of the project.