Gender equality in science, technology headlines IDB Lab’s global forum in Bogotá
Bogota, Jun 12 (EFE).- Aiming to highlight the work of women entrepreneurs in the areas of science and technology, the second global forum of the Inter-American Development Bank’s innovation lab, IDB Lab, is set to kick off on June 13.
“We are clearly elevating the topic,” said IDB Lab’s manager, Irene Arias, in an interview with EFE in Washington, emphasizing that one of the key sessions at the IDB Lab Forum will be the presentation of the winning ideas from Wexchange, a competition jointly organized with Google that rewards science, technology, engineering, or math projects led by women.
Among the objectives set by IDB Lab for this meeting are to seize business opportunities, identify talent, launch new initiatives, discover trends, and form alliances.
The agenda of this platform, which connects investors and technology projects in the region, includes panels on investing in climate innovation, digital assets as promoters of biodiversity, and value chains without a carbon footprint.
Additionally, there will be interactive workshops and roundtable discussions for innovators to present their business models, receive feedback, and learn about the financing opportunities that IDB Lab offers for each specific area of work.
In this regard, Arias pointed out that we are now experiencing “a new phase, a turning point” as the lab currently prioritizes other areas of action such as disruptive technologies – which render others obsolete – or deep technologies, such as artificial intelligence or cybersecurity.
That’s why the IDB Lab Forum will dedicate one of its spaces to confronting fears associated with cutting-edge technologies and thus being able to maximize their potential.
The responsible use of artificial intelligence, blockchain, and highlighting the importance of well-being and mental health in the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Latin America and the Caribbean, will also take center stage in some of the discussions held at the event.
Prior to the closing ceremony, the main conclusions drawn from IDB Lab’s latest report on DeepTech in Latin America and the Caribbean will be presented.
The opening of this two-day forum, coinciding with the organization’s 30th anniversary, will be led by the President of the IDB, Ilan Goldfajn, followed by a welcoming speech from Colombia’s Minister of Finance, Ricardo Bonilla.
Since 1993, IDB Lab has mobilized more than $2 billion in 2,700 innovation projects, with the collaboration of more than 1,500 partners from the region and around the world. EFE
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