Introduction

The history of Panama has been influenced by science and technology since its inception. The geological event that formed the isthmus that united North and South America, more than 3 million years ago, gave it its strategic location and one of the greatest biodiversity riches in the world (O’Dea et al., 2016). The construction of the Panama Canal was one of the most ambitious engineering works of its time, but the poor management of workers’ health conditions played a key role in the failure of the original project, led by the French (Marshall, 1913). When the United States took over the work, right after Panama’s independence from Colombia in 1903, Dr. William Gorgas implemented measures similar to those taken in Cuba following Dr. Carlos Finley’s research to clear yellow fever mosquitoes (Mason, 1916; Chaves-Carballo, 2005). This allowed the successful completion of a great work of engineering, becoming one of the first examples of Science Diplomacy (SD) for global health.

Despite the complex diplomatic relationship between the US and Panama, both countries agreed to establish in Panama some of the best institutes in Tropical Ecology and Medicine, like the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and the Gorgas Memorial Institute (GMI). Implemented by the US but officially administered by the Panamanian Government since 1990, the latter has become an international reference institute for tropical and public health research (Wright, 1970; Adames, 2003). STRI continues to be an American institute that studies all aspects of the abundant and untapped biodiversity in the country (STRI, 2018).

Many of the most relevant historical scientific and technological events in Panama are intertwined with political decisions and have occurred generally under the leadership of another country, or were undertaken by an interested group of scientists and technicians and not as a national strategy. It was not until the end of the 20th century, that Panama began to systematically develop and strengthen its scientific ecosystem with the creation of the National Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation (SENACYT) (Romero and Quental, 2013). Currently, it is the main public institution funding research and the first to promote the importance of training young scientists in communication, relational and leadership skills in SD (Gittens and Lopez-Verges, 2018). SENACYT also encourages the interaction between the scientific community and the Ministry of Foreign affairs, as well as researchers’ involvement in different national strategies and projects.