IDB Lab seeks innovative solutions to mitigate Sargassum impact

IDB Lab, the innovation laboratory of the Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group), in collaboration with other agencies is launching the Sargassum Innovation Quest. 

The initiative aims to harness the potential of the sargassum biomass and improve the resilience in Latin America and the Caribbean’s coastal communities through the use of advanced technology and innovative practice.  

It says since 2011, the region has faced significant challenges from the influx of sargassum, impacting tourism, fisheries and coastal ecosystems. 

The call is open to proposals for technological solutions from startups, corporations, foundations, non-profit organisations, and academic institutions, among others.  

These solutions must be already proven at an experimental level and need to be scaled to a commercial level, with business models meeting economic viability, social impact, environmental sustainability and sectoral innovation requirements. 

Technology proposals may range from efficient collection to the transformation of sargassum into value-added products, including monitoring, analysis and the use of innovation to predict the arrival of sargassum and optimise collection and treatment operations.  

A multidisciplinary panel will evaluate submitted solutions and will select the initiatives in the Caribbean and Mexico that will be eligible for between $300,000 and $500,000 in funding, and will benefit from knowledge sharing and the dissemination of best practices and lessons learned in sargassum management. 

Innovative solutions from The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, Honduras and Mexico are eligible to participate. Also eligible are Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Entities not located in any of these 17 target countries will only be considered if they come from IDB countries and are associated with local or regional organisations registered to conduct project activities in one of these countries. 

“Innovation and technology can provide real solutions for the collection, treatment and transformation of sargassum into raw material and turn this environmental challenge into opportunities for industries in the Caribbean and Mexico,” said César Buenadicha, head of IDB Lab’s Discovery unit. “With this initiative we seek not only to mitigate the environmental and economic impact of sargassum, but also to boost the economic development and resilience of our region.” 

The call is open from July 16, 2024, and closes August 31, 2024. Selected applications will be announced in October 2024