Winners of the CAF 2014 Patents initiative receive awards during the 4th RED OTT Congress in Mexico

The technological concepts proposed by José Torán, María Parente, and Carlos Calvo for "hydro-kinetic" technology, and by Ricardo Chicurel for "Residential Sector" technology, won the first edition of the Technological Patents for Development Regional Initiative, a program created by CAF, Development Bank of Latin America, seeking to establish a platform for the generation of patentable technological concepts, implement pilot projects for the selected technologies, and generate networks of knowledge and training in the region.  

The award ceremony was carried out in the framework of CAF's events in the 4th RED OTT Congress, which took place in the city of Pachuca, Mexico, which included the presentation of the Technological Patents for Development Regional Initiative and two workshops, one related to training on Technological Research, and another on how to conceptualize and develop applications for Innovative Technological Patents. 

Maria Paz Estenssoro, CAF's Director Representative in Mexico, stated, "It is the time to make patents, create profitable innovation to reduce inequalities, promote social inclusion, and generate productive processes and dignified work in Latin America". 

At the same time, Álvaro Atilano, coordinator of the Initiative, expressed the need to redirect the innovation strategies in the region to promote investments. "It is very important to generate and market innovating technologies that help increase Latin America's exports in the long term. During the past two decades, investments in science, technology, and innovation in most countries of the region have not contributed to increase the indicators associated to technological development at a regional scale". 

The Technological Patents for Development Regional Initiative is a program that promotes regional training and institutional strengthening, in order to increase patentable technological innovation to contribute to increase high technology exports from Latin America. 

Some of the contributions of the initiative are: training the population regarding the subject of technological innovation, increasing the number of applications for international patents coming from the region through the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), implementing pilot projects for the selected technologies, promoting the creation of patent incubators in the region, and generating networks of knowledge.

Thus, through its initiative, CAF promotes technological innovation as one of the drivers of economic growth and sustainable development in Latin America.