Wednesday, June 20, 2018
President of the Institute of Caribbean Studies, Dr. Claire A. Nelson, will launch the SMART Caribbean initiative today at the Inter-American Development Bank.
The SMART Caribbean Ideation Hub Challenge will gather innovative ideas and actions from everywhere and kick-start the formation of a community of committed innovators and influencers from Caribbean and non-Caribbean citizens alike to achieve the vision for the Caribbean by 2030 and beyond. This will be done using the IdeaScale platform.
The IdeaScale platform provides an opportunity for anyone to share ideas. In this regard, ICS seeks 100 promising ideas that if implemented, can help create inclusive sustainable societies, for honorary mention in a book "SMART CARIBBEAN" to be curated by ICS for publication by December 2018. Participants are asked to describe their imagined policy, process or project innovation that will help to create SMART institutions, infrastructure or industries.
This initiative will utilize the IdeaScale platform to explore the UNDP Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which is a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. There are 17 UNDP Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which are interconnected - often the key to success on one will involve tackling issues more commonly associated with another.
IdeaScale is the largest cloud-based innovation software platform in the world with more than 25,000 customers and 4.5 million users. The software allows organizations to involve the opinions of public and private communities by collecting their ideas and giving users a platform to vote. From tourism to climate change, to entrepreneurship, transportation, natural disasters and ideas abound that can play a major role in shaping the region.
"We know great ideas can come from anywhere, and we believe that in this journey to the future we want, we are all crew..." states Dr. Claire Nelson, President of the ICS. "We need to understand how Caribbean nations can take a step forward becoming more innovative and improve economic stability despite hurricanes and other natural disasters, and, ask, what are the policies, programs, and projects needed to effect transformation?" The Institute of Caribbean Studies is launching SMART Caribbean Initiative to jump-start the drive to a thriving sustainable Caribbean by 2040. "The future we want requires innovative leaders and institutions to drive the transformation."
In addition to the IdeaScale project, the SMART Caribbean Initiative will include thought leadership events and training workshops that will bring together diverse influences from across the region.
