AGP Executive Report

Entrepreneurship & AI in Puerto Rico: Boricua Emprende Fest drew 2,275 participants to the Puerto Rico Convention Center, with tracks on access to capital, AI, marketing, finance, permits, compliance, and business growth—plus a BE Boricua Pitch Competition awarding more than $20,000 in seed capital and Enactus teams presenting social enterprises. Public Health & Travel Safety: Clorox Puerto Rico recalled 6.3M Mistolin and Lestoil scented cleaners sold in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands due to possible Pseudomonas aeruginosa contamination, with higher risk flagged for immunocompromised travelers and people with external medical devices. Climate & Resilience Research: UT researchers are studying how hurricanes and extreme weather are reshaping Puerto Rico’s communities through CCAN, aiming to connect climate-risk science to local adaptation needs in areas like landslides, reservoirs, and agriculture. STEM Education & Tech Agriculture: A Puerto Rico-linked FFA grant story highlights hands-on ag-tech learning, including plans for a small hydroponic lab to teach plant science and water/nutrient management. Dengue Treatment Breakthrough: An experimental monoclonal antibody cleared dengue virus from blood and resolved fever within 24 hours in a phase 2 trial, offering early hope where no licensed antiviral exists.

Public Health Recall: Clorox Puerto Rico recalled 6.3M Mistolin and Lestoil scented multi-purpose cleaner bottles sold in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands due to possible Pseudomonas aeruginosa contamination, with higher risk for immunocompromised travelers and people with external medical devices. STEM & Climate Research: UT researchers are studying how hurricanes and extreme weather are reshaping Puerto Rico’s environment and communities through CCAN, linking climate-risk science to local adaptation needs in rivers, landslides, and agriculture. Water & Drought Monitoring: Puerto Rico’s unusually dry 2026 wet season has driven expanding drought and emergency declarations, with the U.S. Drought Monitor using NASA satellite and ground data to track conditions. Medical Breakthrough: A phase 2 trial reports an experimental dengue monoclonal antibody cleared virus from blood and resolved fever within 24 hours at tested doses, pointing to a potential future antiviral option. Port Tech for Puerto Rico Freight: Trailer Bridge and Ports America signed a 10-year deal to run stevedoring and deploy Ports America’s Dockworks terminal operating system for the Jacksonville–San Juan Jones Act barge lane, aiming for better cargo tracking and visibility. Ag Tech Education: Johnson Bayou High School FFA won $4,650 for a hydroponic lab to teach plant science, water/nutrient management, and sustainable food production.

Puerto Rico Climate Research: UT researchers are using CCAN to study how hurricanes and other extreme weather are reshaping Puerto Rico’s rivers, landslides, and agriculture—aiming to connect climate science directly to community needs. Drought Watch: Puerto Rico’s unusually dry 2026 has pushed drought conditions across the island, with NASA-supported satellite data feeding the U.S. Drought Monitor and helping track impacts on water supplies. Public Health Breakthrough: A phase 2 trial reports an experimental dengue monoclonal antibody cleared dengue virus from patients’ blood and resolved fever within 24 hours in multiple dose groups—an early step toward an antiviral option. Health & Tech in PR Logistics: Ports America and Trailer Bridge signed a 10-year deal to support Jones Act barge service between Jacksonville and San Juan, rolling out Dockworks terminal software to improve cargo tracking and visibility. STEM & Community: A new NIH-funded structural biology grant keeps UB-HWI’s National Crystallization Center advancing research that supports drug discovery pipelines. Local Business Tech: Primero Games acquired Win Systems’ gaming division, adding slot and electronic-roulette operations with an installed base that includes Puerto Rico.

Climate & Resilience: UT researchers are using CCAN to study how hurricanes and extreme weather are reshaping Puerto Rico’s rivers, landslides, reservoirs, and even agriculture—then pushing the findings back to communities that need them. Drought Watch: Puerto Rico’s unusually dry 2026 has expanded drought conditions fast, with the U.S. Drought Monitor showing widespread impacts by late August and renewed pressure on water supplies. Health Tech & Research: An experimental dengue monoclonal antibody cleared dengue virus from patients’ blood and resolved fever within 24 hours in a phase 2 trial, offering early hope where no antiviral drug is licensed. Local Infrastructure & Logistics: Ports America and Trailer Bridge signed a 10-year deal to handle stevedoring and deploy terminal tech for Jones Act barge service between Jacksonville and San Juan, aiming to improve cargo tracking and visibility. Energy Systems: A broader look at grid strain highlights why extreme heat and drought are forcing new thinking about overhauled, more resilient power systems.

Drought Watch: Extreme drought now covers 44% of Puerto Rico, with unusually dry conditions pushing water shortages and rationing as officials respond to a growing climate risk. El Niño Update: A “supersized” El Niño is only just beginning to worsen impacts, raising stakes for weather swings that can hit island agriculture and water planning. Medical Education in PR: UAGM and Hospital Español Auxilio Mutuo (HEAM) announced plans for a new medical school in Puerto Rico, pairing clinical rotations, internships, research, and community health training to address healthcare workforce needs. NIH-Funded Research: UB-HWI (University at Buffalo) received a five-year, $5.5M NIH award to advance structural biology—supporting work that can translate lab discoveries into real treatments. Public Health Tech: An experimental dengue monoclonal antibody cleared dengue virus from blood and resolved fever within 24 hours in a phase 2 trial, offering early hope where no licensed antiviral exists. Digital Infrastructure: A new look at how essential digital technologies should be treated like critical infrastructure—especially when misinformation and unsafe AI recommendations undermine trust. STEM & Grants: A report highlights expanding cover crop use nationwide, including Puerto Rico, as farmers adopt more conservation tech and practices.

Medical Education in Puerto Rico: UAGM and Hospital Español Auxilio Mutuo (HEAM) signed an affiliation to develop a new medical school, including clinical rotations, internships, research, and community health projects—aimed at boosting Puerto Rico’s physician workforce. Digital Government Services: Puerto Rico’s Department of Labor and Human Resources is expanding help for its Digital Unemployment platform with daily Facebook Live Q&As and in-person support across multiple municipalities, including San Juan, Caguas, Fajardo, Arecibo, Coamo, Ponce, and Mayagüez. Infrastructure Under Climate Pressure: The Puerto Rico House ordered an investigation into PR‑1’s coastal erosion-driven instability between Las Ochenta (Salinas) and Santa Isabel, with possible remedies and a potential inland relocation to protect access to essential services. Ag Tech & Soil Health: A new USDA cover crop report includes responses from Puerto Rico farmers, showing growing adoption and reported yield and weed-control benefits—plus more acreage expected next year. AI in Retail: Costco reported that its AI recommendation engine drove nearly $1B in digital revenue over two quarters, a signal of how AI-driven personalization is reshaping shopping experiences.

Medical Education Expansion: UAGM and Hospital Español Auxilio Mutuo (HEAM) signed an affiliation agreement to develop a new medical school in Puerto Rico, including clinical rotations, internships, seminars, research initiatives, and community health projects—aimed at boosting healthcare workforce training as UAGM prepares its Doctor of Medicine program at the Carolina campus. Public Works & Climate Resilience: The Puerto Rico House ordered a formal investigation into PR‑1’s accelerating coastal erosion risk between Las Ochenta (Salinas) and Santa Isabel, with DTOP tasked to assess structural dangers, propose remedies, and consider relocating the road inland to prevent repeated flooding and isolation of residents. Digital Unemployment Support: Puerto Rico’s Department of Labor and Human Resources is rolling out daily Facebook Live Q&As to help people use the new Digital Unemployment platform, with in-person assistance available across multiple regional offices and access via trabajo.pr.gov. STEM Pipeline Spotlight: Society for Science named the Top 300 Junior Innovators for the 2026 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge, highlighting middle-school STEM research talent across U.S. territories.

Digital Unemployment Rollout: Puerto Rico’s Department of Labor and Human Resources is expanding help for its new “Desempleo Digital” unemployment platform, with daily 4 p.m. Facebook Live Q&As and in-person support across San Juan, Caguas, Fajardo, Arecibo, Coamo, Ponce and Mayagüez. Teen Safety & Social Media Regulation: Meta agreed to pay up to $17.1B in a multistate settlement tied to claims of harm from teen social media use, including limits on late-night access and new age-verification tools. Maritime Safety: The U.S. Coast Guard is warning Puerto Rico and nearby islands about illegal passenger-for-hire charter operations, urging riders to verify credentials and inspection certificates before boarding. Water Crisis Response: Connecticut officials plan an October visit to Puerto Rico to meet local stakeholders and push solutions for the island’s ongoing water crisis. STEM for Youth: Society for Science named the Top 300 Junior Innovators for the 2026 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge, highlighting middle-school STEM projects from across U.S. territories including Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico Tech in Games: Puerto Rico-based indie studio Mudtek announced “Dimraeth” will enter Steam Early Access Sept. 15 with deep character-building and drop-in co-op.

Connected Healthcare Launch: QC Healthcare rolled out My Adult Doctor™ across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Guam, adding 24/7 urgent care, primary care, chronic disease management, behavioral health, and AI-enabled digital services. Port Tech for Puerto Rico Supply Chains: Ports America and Trailer Bridge started a 10-year Jacksonville–San Juan Jones Act partnership, pairing stevedoring with Ports America’s Dockworks terminal platform for better shipment visibility, with customer-facing rollout expected in 2027. Puerto Rico Water Crisis Spotlight: A new documentary, “La Esencia del Conflicto,” screens in Connecticut, highlighting environmentalists’ concerns that a planned Cabo Rojo luxury development could strain limited water supplies amid Puerto Rico’s ongoing drought and infrastructure failures. Child Safety Online Policy: Meta agreed to pay up to $17.1B in a landmark settlement with 47 states (including Puerto Rico), requiring limits on teen screen time, late-night access blocks, and new age-verification tools. Local Tech & Finance Leadership: Banesco USA appointed Teresa Stinson to its board; she has Puerto Rican roots and brings 25+ years in commercial banking and credit risk management. STEM Talent Pipeline: WRO India’s robotics championship named teams that will qualify for the global WRO Championship 2026 in Puerto Rico.

Water Crisis Oversight: Puerto Rico marks 10 years of “La Junta” oversight amid a severe drought and water rationing, with reporting pointing to infrastructure maintenance failures and policy choices that have kept residents short on reliable service. Port Tech & Logistics: Ports America and Trailer Bridge signed a 10-year Jacksonville–San Juan deal, with Ports America bringing its Dockworks terminal operating platform and a customer-facing visibility rollout expected in 2027. Agroecology Research: IALA-PR launched the Science for (and with) the People Fund to back agroecological research in Puerto Rico, aiming to protect biodiversity and strengthen resilient food systems. AI for Credit Access: Soft Pull Solutions introduced a smarter credit-pull strategy for Puerto Rico businesses, targeting lower match rates without pushing routine Social Security number requests. STEM Robotics Pipeline: WRO India’s national robotics championship concluded with teams qualifying for the global WRO Championship in Puerto Rico, highlighting hands-on coding, engineering, and problem-solving. Energy Storage Push: A new report spotlights how battery incentives are accelerating storage buildouts, including a Puerto Rico battery project supported by federal funding. Public Health Alert: North Carolina’s rare “brain-eating” amoeba case underscores how warm freshwater exposure can lead to nearly always fatal infections, a reminder for summer water safety.

Water & Governance: Puerto Rico marks 10 years of “La Junta” oversight amid a severe drought and water crisis, with residents and investigators arguing that austerity and weak infrastructure maintenance—not just climate—helped drive rationing and shortages. Climate Impact: A new World Weather Attribution analysis links human-caused warming to reduced early wet-season rainfall—about 6% in Jamaica and 9% in Puerto Rico—making extreme dry spells more likely. Digital Government: The Department of Labor and Human Resources is rolling out Desempleo Digital, replacing decades-old systems so unemployment claims and the Employer Portal can be handled online starting Sept. 1, 2026. Agroecology Research: IALA-PR launches the Science for (and with) the People Fund to back young researchers studying agroecological systems tailored to Puerto Rico’s conditions and biodiversity. STEM & Robotics: WRO India National Championship 2026 qualified multiple robotics teams to compete in Puerto Rico, highlighting hands-on coding and engineering education. Social Tech Policy: Rep. José Aponte proposes using Puerto Rico’s $124.7M Meta settlement to fund programs aimed at preventing problematic social media use among minors. Tech in Health & Safety: AAFA’s 2026 Asthma Capitals report flags Allentown as #1, underscoring the broader need for better asthma care access as September brings higher ER demand.

Puerto Rico Tech & Policy: Rep. José Aponte says Puerto Rico should use part of its $124.7M Meta settlement to fund a program through AMSSCA aimed at preventing problematic social media use among minors, with support for parents. Enterprise AI in the U.S.: Sun West Mortgage and AngelAi launched “Angel Agents,” an enterprise AI setup built for fast, secure multi-tenant deployment—designed to let thousands of users access personalized AI while keeping individual data private. Digital IDs: Google Wallet for Android added Ohio state IDs, bringing the total to 12 states/territories supported, including Puerto Rico. Health & Equity in San Juan: BlackDoctor’s inaugural Thought Leadership Summit in Puerto Rico focused on epilepsy care, including advances like at-home seizure monitoring and gaps in treatment access. Space Science: NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launched from Cape Canaveral, promising wide-field mapping of the universe and faster supernova discovery. Logistics Tech: Ports America and Trailer Bridge signed a 10-year Puerto Rico service deal, with Ports America rolling out its Dockworks terminal platform for better shipment visibility. Climate & Hazards: NASA Earth Observations tools are being tested with La Margarita residents on Puerto Rico’s south coast to help address flooding and storm exposure.

Puerto Rico Tech & Research: Ponce Health Sciences University named Dr. Kenira J. Thompson García as its new president, tapping decades of internal research leadership to expand biomedical infrastructure and collaborations across Puerto Rico. Health Tech: Amgen reported new Phase 3 results showing Repatha (evolocumab) reduced the risk of death in high-risk adults without prior heart attack or stroke, adding to the push for better lipid management. Space Tech: NASA launched the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope from Cape Canaveral, aiming for faster, wider cosmic surveys and early images expected about 90 days after launch. AI & Robotics (Region): El Salvador’s National Robotics Olympiad selected teams for the WRO International Final in Puerto Rico, including an AI-and-sensors project to help protect heritage sites. Fintech (Puerto Rico): A look at Puerto Rico’s 2026 fintech landscape highlights how local digital payments like ATH Móvil fit into a broader shift beyond the island’s debt-crisis recovery. Environment: Research using an uncrewed glider found dolphins separate social whistles from hunting echolocation along Florida’s Atlantic coast. Weather Watch: The National Hurricane Center is tracking two Atlantic systems, including remnants of Tropical Storm Dolly affecting Puerto Rico and nearby islands.

Space Tech: NASA launched the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope from Cape Canaveral, aiming for a much wider view of the universe and faster cosmic mapping, with first data expected about a week after launch and early images roughly 90 days later. Local Tech & AI Tools: Puerto Rico-based Otto Webmaster released Otto MCP, an HTTP connector that plugs its website/SEO/ads operations into AI workspaces via Model Context Protocol, exposing 168 tools across 11 integrations. Public Safety & Data Systems: The FBI cleared a 2024 backlog of 1.8 million DNA samples, citing lab upgrades, while also reporting major Puerto Rico-related arrests tied to a Mayagüez drug pipeline. Health Research: Ponce Health Sciences University named Dr. Kenira J. Thompson García as its new president, highlighting her long-running research and infrastructure leadership at the institution. Weather Watch: The National Hurricane Center is tracking two Atlantic systems, including remnants of Dolly affecting Puerto Rico and nearby islands.

AI & Web Ops in Puerto Rico: Otto Webmaster (IslaIntel) launched Otto MCP, an HTTP connector that exposes 168 website-management tools across 11 integrations to AI agents like Claude and ChatGPT, letting teams query analytics and draft site changes from one chat. Public Health Tech: A real-world study reviews how hemoglobin variability affects chronic kidney disease patients on erythropoiesis-stimulating agents, tying anemia management to outcomes. Education & Research Leadership: Ponce Health Sciences University named Dr. Kenira J. Thompson García as president, highlighting her research and biomedical infrastructure track record. STEM Robotics (Regional): El Salvador selected top teams from its National Robotics Olympiad to represent the country at WRO International Final in Puerto Rico. Space Policy Watch: The FAA seeks input on new spaceports and “priority airspace” for space-launch corridors, as the U.S. pushes higher launch capacity. Cyber/Crime Tech: The FBI cleared a 1.8M DNA backlog and reported Puerto Rico arrests tied to a Mayagüez drug pipeline. Tech Policy & Kids Online: Oklahoma announced a Meta settlement up to $17.1B with required platform changes for teen safety, including Puerto Rico in the claims.

AI & Web Ops in Puerto Rico: Otto Webmaster (IslaIntel) launched Otto MCP, an HTTP connector that lets AI agents like Claude and ChatGPT query live site analytics and draft changes via 168 tools across 11 integrations, including GA4, Search Console, Meta Ads, and Shopify. Local Leadership in Health Tech: Ponce Health Sciences University named Dr. Kenira J. Thompson García as president, highlighting her research leadership and plans to expand biomedical innovation in Puerto Rico. Space Policy Watch: The FAA is seeking input on new U.S. spaceports and how “priority airspace” should work for critical launch corridors, tied to the 2026 National Space Transportation Policy. Cyber/Forensics: The FBI cleared a 1.8M DNA backlog and reported Puerto Rico-related arrests tied to a Mayagüez transnational criminal organization. STEM & Robotics Pipeline: El Salvador selected national robotics champions for WRO International after students built AI- and sensor-based solutions under “Robots Meet Culture,” with top teams representing the country in Puerto Rico. Military Tech in Practice: East Carolina University and the U.S. Army Reserve signed a 10-year agreement to move a predictive maintenance platform into operational use nationwide. Child Safety & Platform Rules: Oklahoma announced a $235.6M guaranteed Meta settlement (part of a larger multi-state deal) over addictive design and misleading claims about teen safety, with Puerto Rico included in the claims.