Since Latin American countries have significant potential for innovation in sustainable technologies thanks to certain resources, the focus of the conference was on the specific incentives that can drive relevant innovation in the region. Reto Hilty, Director at the Institute, and Diego Hurtado, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, opened the event.
The debate included three panels: one with representatives of various Latin American start-ups, one with experts from the economic sciences, and one with legal scholars. The scientific panels used different, complementary approaches to discuss the questions of how to promote innovation in the field of sustainable technologies.
The first panel focused on the areas in which the invited start-ups from six Latin American countries are particularly innovative. Also addressed were the legal and economic difficulties faced by founders, as well as established companies. Moreover the panel examined the extent to which government or other support was decisive and thus contributed to economic growth.
The economic panel dealt with the question of how incentives can be created or increased in order to innovate in the areas of sustainability-oriented technologies. The economists also considered which factors have a positive or negative impact on the willingness of private actors to invest and what conclusions can be drawn from this in regulatory terms.
In the third panel, legal scholars addressed the legal framework conditions that can represent not only incentives but also constraints to sustainable development. They also highlighted the complexity of these frameworks and addressed the difficulties start-ups face in complying with them.
The enormous interest this topic attracts was also reflected in the number of participants: nearly 1,000 people attended the hybrid conference, according to the Argentine Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. The ministry acted as co-organizer and provided also the venue for this conference.