Karachi, Thirtyfive Latin American entrepreneurs have been equipped with essential skills to pitch their ‘green’ business ideas effectively, thanks to a workshop organized by UNESCO and its partner, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Selected from over 500 applicants, these entrepreneurs are being groomed to transition their innovative ideas from the laboratory to the marketplace, focusing on sustainability and ecological impact.
According to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the workshop, part of the Global Labor Market Conference (GLMC) in Riyadh, was designed to enhance entrepreneurial acumen among the participants. The program covered a range of topics, including opportunity assessment, technology transfer, patenting, and navigating the complexities of startup finance. Expert speakers from organizations like the UN Global Compact and SENACYT contributed their insights.
Keynote speaker Surya Raghu, a mechanical engineer and founder of Advanced Fluidics, emphasized the importance of anticipating future innovation trends. He discussed developing technology roadmaps, mind maps, intersect maps, and the practice of horizon scanning, incorporating societal, economic, technological, and regulatory factors. Raghu illustrated the evolution of top inventions from the 1960s through the 21st century, highlighting the reduced time for technologies to reach widespread adoption.
The workshop also underscored the relevance of the Sustainable Development Goals as a catalyst for innovation. Alexander Leicht, Director of UNESCO’s San José Office, referred to the UNESCO Science Report (2021), which observed a rise in sustainability science and socially innovative policies in Latin America and the Caribbean, indicating a demand for local sustainable solutions.
Additionally, Dr. Victor Sánchez Urrutia from the Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá discussed the opportunities arising from the fragmentation of production and global value chains. Nicole Bianeth Pérez, an attorney from CLD Legal in Panama, demystified the differences between patents, trade secrets, and trademarks, offering valuable legal insights for aspiring entrepreneurs.
After intense discussions and feedback sessions, seven ideas were shortlisted, demonstrating innovative potential and realworld applicability. These ideas included using banana plant biomass for bioplastic production (by the D3Bio team), developing a biofungicide (Agriobiolac team), creating a line of probiotics for digestive health (Astrobiotics team), and designing a lowcost prosthetic hand (SMART Hand team). Other ideas focused on digital solutions in retail, weather analytics, and educational platforms.
The event in Panama was the second in a series of UNESCOled bootcamps, following an earlier event in Cairo for African entrepreneurs specializing in nanotechnology. These initiatives reflect UNESCO’s commitment to fostering innovation and sustainable development across the globe.