Cinvestav students blocked the entrance in protest over the lack of scholarships

A group of graduate students from the Center for Research and Advanced Studies (Cinvestav) blocked vehicle access to the headquarters in Zacatenco, protesting the lack of Elisa Acuña scholarships.

The conflict originated from the disappearance of the National Council of Humanities, Sciences, and Technologies (Conahcyt), now transformed into the Secretariat of Science, Humanities, Technology, and Innovation.

However, the program still lacks published operating rules in the Official Gazette of the Federation, and Cinvestav was not included in the Federal Expenditure Budget for this funding.

"Cinvestav would not be included in the Operating Rules to be published in the coming days, as the Union Congress did not allocate resources to Cinvestav for this program", explained the Academic Secretary, Dr. Abdel Pérez Lorenzana.

Despite the vehicular blockade, pedestrians were able to enter the premises. The mobilization responds to a crisis that began in January, when 74 students from various Cinvestav campuses—including Guadalajara, Saltillo, Mérida, and Monterrey—stopped receiving their maintenance scholarships.

The change in funding structure: what happened to the scholarships?

The conflict originated from the disappearance of the National Council of Science and Technology (Conacyt), now transformed into the Secretariat of Science, Humanities, Technology, and Innovation. This change eliminated direct scholarships from Cinvestav, which from 2024 depended on the Elisa Acuña scholarships program.

However, the program still lacks published operating rules in the Official Gazette of the Federation, and Cinvestav was not included in the Federal Expenditure Budget for this funding.

Uncertainty and pressure on the government

The students reported that the Department of Scholarships and Incentives at Cinvestav has tried to manage a solution with the National Coordination of Scholarships for Well-being, but so far there is no certainty about when the situation will be solved.

"We continue with expenses we can't cover and with the uncertainty of knowing when this situation will be solved", reads the statement issued by the affected students.

In the absence of a clear response from the government, the protesters demand that funding be restored under the scheme prior to the Conahcyt reform, ensuring the continuity of their studies and research.