Barbados to host Caribbean Innovation Challenge

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Sub-regional Office for Barbados and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the Young Americas Business Trust (YABT) will host the finals, expo and award ceremony of the Caribbean Innovation Challenge (CIC) on April 25-26, at the Hilton Hotel Resort in Barbados.

The Caribbean Innovation Challenge (CIC) is an international entrepreneur competition and business start-up accelerator for young people in Caricom member states. Awarding projects in three categories (social, economic and environmental), the CIC promotes innovation, social enterprise and the development of entrepreneurial initiatives in diverse and new sustainability sectors. 

The CIC is a component of the UNDP project Youth Innovation (Youth-IN): A Caribbean Network for Youth Development. During the CIC events, 20 finalists, selected among 493 participating teams, will have the unique opportunity to showcase and present their projects to international and regional business experts. These finalists will also be able to meet different potential partners and investors.  

The opening ceremony will take place on April 25, with feature addresses by local government and stakeholders, closing with an awards ceremony on April 26.