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 Versión Español | October 2015

SEDI News

Enabling Entrepreneurship and Innovation Initiatives in Central America and the Caribbean

Cooperation in social protection: exchanging experiences, expanding opportunitiesIn September, El Salvador and Belize launched important initiatives to support entrepreneurship and innovation for inclusive development. In many ways, the progress made in both countries builds on good practices and experiences from the Americas, shared by key institutions and partners through the OAS. On September 1st, the Technological Agro-industry Park (PTA) of El Salvador received the Social Innovation Award INNOVAGRO 2015 in Chile, recognizing a technology to produce a drink supplement to improve the nutrition of school children. On September 17, the Belize Trade and Investment Development Service (BELTRAIDE) announced the start of the construction of the new Belize Enterprise and Innovation Institute (BEI2) in partnership with the University of Belize.

AwardOn the one hand, the innovative bio-fortified corn supplement --developed by the PTA of El Salvador, in collaboration with different government institutions-- will benefit close to 40,000 students and local farmers in El Salvador, by providing a healthy solution to complement children’s’ nutrition at school that will be sourced with local produce. Rebeca Batista, Coordinator of the Technology Park, highlighted that “this is the first time that El Salvador receives an innovation award at this level, which helps to validate the work of our researchers, and inspire the PTA team to focus on new goals and objectives in the field of innovation.”

The technology of the fortified drink was presented by the PTA of El Salvador in the OAS-supported Technology Transfer Academy of the Americas (ATTA) in December 2014. The ATTA is a two-week hands-on training organized by the Organization in partnership with the University of California in Davis and CIBNOR, a specialized research center in Mexico, with financial support from the governments of Canada and Mexico (CONACYT). Recognizing the importance of the Park’s participation in the ATTA, Ms. Batista said that “the guidance, input and support we received from the instructors and colleagues from other countries during the two-week exercise in the Academy helped us fine-tune our strategy to manage the technology of the fortified drink, which greatly contributed to our winning of the award in Chile and to define the steps to implement the project in El Salvador.”

For its part, the Belizean entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem will be reinforced by the new Belize Enterprise and Innovation Institute (BEI2), to be located at the University of Belize. The BEI2, a Green and SMART building --a first in Belize -- will host BELTRAIDE’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and Export Belize, creating a hub for supporting economic opportunities for enterprises in the country.

Belize’s BELTRAIDE has participated in several of the Organization’s programs to support small business development and competitiveness in the region. As part of the OAS program “Establishment of SBDCs in the Caribbean”, the country successfully adapted and implemented the U. S. Small Business Development Centre (SBDC) model, with the technical support of the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), and in partnership with the Permanent Mission of the U.S. to the OAS. The success of the SBDC Belize and the greater demand for its services led to the conceptualization of the BEI2, as an enterprise and innovation hub - a one stop shop for SMEs-- that would provide the nucleus for business growth and development in the country.

Senior officials from BELTRAIDE have also participated in other relevant OAS initiatives, such as the meetings of high–level MSME authorities, and the 2014 and 2015 editions of the Americas Competitiveness Exchange (ACE). The ACE is a high-level leadership and partnership-development program that facilitates visits of decision-makers from the Americas to high-impact innovation and entrepreneurship centers throughout the region and is convened by the OAS, through the Inter-American Competitiveness Network (RIAC), the U.S. Departments of Commerce and State, and the US/OAS, in collaboration with the government acting as sitting Chair of the RIAC. Michael Singh, CEO of BELTRAIDE, highlighted that the government of Belize, encouraged by the results achieved by several of the initiatives visited during the ACE, decided to expand the concept of the BEI2 to include incubators and innovation-driven projects in partnership with the UB. “We are excited at the possibilities that were identified during the ACE event and will be working diligently on making these programs work for Belize.”

At the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the BEI2 this month, the government emphasized that  “without the OAS, the US Mission to the OAS, and University of Texas in San Antonio’s assistance, BELTRAIDE would not be able to achieve all its successes under its SBDC Belize and Export Belize and have this very notable milestone of the BEI2 groundbreaking”.   

These are just two examples of how the OAS is supporting entrepreneurship and innovation in the region. By bringing partners and governments together, facilitating dialogue and experience exchange, the Organization has become a strategic hub for regional collaboration, and is building in-country capacity to effectively enable member states to drive their own economic agendas.

 

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