Results of the Laboratory of Innovation for Peace presented – DIA

Within the framework of the DIA Program – Democratizing Innovation in the Americas, The Trust for the Americas, CAF-development bank of Latin America- and the National University of Colombia presented the results of the first phase of the Laboratory of Innovation for Peace, which will award the 12 most innovative peace promotion projects based on the results of the first three months of execution.

The 12 winning projects are a result of four Hackathons and Pitch Tanks held in July and August at UNAL’s facilities in Bogota, Manizales, Arauca and Tumaco, where nearly 200 participants presented their ideas for innovative projects to a group of advisors and jurors, who provided feedback and evaluated their proposals.

The goal of these projects was to solve the challenge of promoting peace – an activity that will help strengthen methodological, problem-solving and critical-thinking skills acquired by participants trained at the Laboratory of Innovation for Peace – LabPaz.

LabPaz gathers victims, ex-combatants, people in vulnerable conditions, and other members of the community who are interested in promoting peace, who are trained in issues such as the development of skills to innovate, generate value networks, and develop innovation processes to promote peace across four Colombian cities: Arauca, Bogota, Tumaco and Manizales.

The challenge posed for the Hackathon and Pitch Tank aimed to strengthen the participants’ ability to reflect on the complex realities related to the peace promotion process,, based on their own empirical and academic experiences.

Through their relation with the Laboratory, the young participants created innovative low-cost solutions with great impact and high quality, ultimately promoting access and opportunities for sustainable development in their communities. The 12 winning proposals will receive incentives to leverage and enhance their initiatives based on the innovation project’s primary needs.

The DIA program currently covers Colombia, Mexico and Jamaica, through a partnership between The Trust for the Americas, the Organization of American States (OAS) and various donors. In Colombia, LabPaz operates with funding from CAF-development bank of Latin America- and the support of the National University of Colombia. This program seeks to encourage innovation and facilitate access to technology by vulnerable groups, in order to identify and implement innovative solutions to overcome challenges in their communities.

The Laboratory of Innovation for Peace will later advance to a sustainability phase. The initiative is expected to continue providing training and advisory services through the DIA methodology, in order to develop innovative proposals to help promote peace and social reconciliation in Colombia.