Inter-American Development Bank
facebook
twitter
youtube
linkedin
instagram
Abierto al públicoBeyond BordersCaribbean Development TrendsCiudades SosteniblesEnergía para el FuturoEnfoque EducaciónFactor TrabajoGente SaludableGestión fiscalGobernarteIdeas MatterIdeas que CuentanIdeaçãoImpactoIndustrias CreativasLa Maleta AbiertaMoviliblogMás Allá de las FronterasNegocios SosteniblesPrimeros PasosPuntos sobre la iSeguridad CiudadanaSostenibilidadVolvamos a la fuente¿Y si hablamos de igualdad?Home
Citizen Security and Justice Creative Industries Development Effectiveness Early Childhood Development Education Energy Envirnment. Climate Change and Safeguards Fiscal policy and management Gender and Diversity Health Labor and pensions Open Knowledge Public management Science, Technology and Innovation  Trade and Regional Integration Urban Development and Housing Water and Sanitation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Volvamos a la fuente

Agua, saneamiento y residuos solidos

  • HOME
  • CATEGORIES
    • AquaFund
    • Featured
    • Gender
    • Hydro-BID
    • Innovation and data
    • Knowledge
    • Optimal sanitation
    • Solid waste
    • Source of Innovation
    • Unacccounted for water
    • WASH
    • Wastewater
    • Water and sanitation
    • Water resources
  • Authors
  • English
    • Español
    • Português

Source of Innovation: Fostering innovation in water, sanitation and waste management in Latin America and the Caribbean

November 16, 2021 Por Sergio I. Campos G. 1 Comment


Adopting innovation at all levels in water and sanitation provision and waste management is key to overcoming the historical gaps affecting the most vulnerable in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Recent studies by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) prove that innovation already plays a key role in the traditionally conservative water, sanitation, and solid waste sector in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Typically, these innovations are more incremental than disruptive, often impeded by government procedures, organizational cultures, and lack of funding and investment in human capital. That being said, the potential impact of innovative solutions for service provision is substantial and a key for future growth, as stressed by the IDB’s Vision 2025, which promotes the digitalization of essential services.

To help the sector do more and better with fewer resources, we proudly present Source of Innovation (Fuente de Innovación in Spanish), a new initiative that aims to foster and support innovation in water, sanitation, and waste management in the region. As a joint effort between the Water and Sanitation Division and IDB Lab, it promotes the development and integration of innovative solutions that contribute to safely managed basic services for all. Source of Innovation counts on the support of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), the FEMSA Foundation, and the Government of Israel, among others.

The specific objectives of Source of Innovation are to (i) strengthen service providers’ capacity to adopt innovative solutions and products; (ii) boost the supply of innovative solutions; (iii) stimulate productive partnerships between startups and entrepreneurs, and service providers and investors; and (iv) promote culture and an enabling environment for innovation. To ensure a holistic approach, the initiative will support innovation in (i) technology, including digital transformation; (ii) governance and services; (iii) financing; (iv) and society, to determine how services can be delivered by incorporating users’ insights and addressing people’s needs. The initiative will also focus on gender and diversity challenges since women and minorities are the most affected by the lack of reliable services. Additionally, it will address climate change challenges, which make water an even more precious resource.

Source of Innovation promotes a new way of fostering innovation and building alliances between public and private actors, operators and startups, and communities and research centers. We need a combination of all these visions to build future solutions together in the sector.

To do more – and better – with less

In LAC, two out of three people still do not have access to safely managed water and sanitation services. Just think about this for a minute. Colombia receives the most rain, yet one-third of its urban population, and 40% of its rural population, do not have reliable access to water services. Although 140 million Brazilians have cellphones, 100 million of them still lack access to safe sanitation services. Only 4.5% of solid waste is recycled and 70 percent of the region’s waste detritus is burnt or ends up in open landfills, affecting the health of local ecosystems. It’s time for a change.

To achieve universal and reliable services for all, the region should multiply current investment levels by five. We need higher efficiency levels because post-pandemic fiscal constraints threaten existing investments. Innovative technological, institutional, financial, and social solutions are imperative to ensure that everyone gains access to safe services.  

Opportunities are unlimited and available. By ensuring data and service reliability, digitalization can improve operating gains and reduce water supply failures. In waste management, Industry 4.0 approaches are being developed and implemented to enhance the circular economy. Smart recycling and artificial intelligence systems support new mechanisms to finance water infrastructure and management. Innovative business models flourish to provide safe and affordable services. Technical and social innovation plays a key role in closing the most persistent coverage gaps.

While these opportunities exist, LAC utilities are not taking them on at the scale and pace necessary. Recent studies suggest that operators, stakeholders, policymakers, and regulators still lack the tools to analyze advancements in innovation and to define clear strategic objectives or guidelines that foster a culture of innovation.

Among the main obstacles that hinder the development and promotion of innovation, a recent IDB study identified:

  • A weak and fragmented demand side, with low innovation levels among service providers, which do not have internal incentive mechanisms to promote Research and Development (R&D).
  • A supply side with few incentives, which fails to acknowledge, promote, and foster innovation. Innovators, startups, and entrepreneurs lack access to financing mechanisms.  Consolidated incubation and acceleration opportunities are absent.
  • Poor communication between demand and supply: service providers and innovators do not talk to each other.
  • A scarcely developed innovation culture throughout the ecosystem. Most countries do not have, or have not completely implemented, a legal and institutional policy framework that favors innovation, and a culture of and for innovation is missing.

The challenges and the opportunities for innovation in water, sanitation, and solid waste were brought to the light, not only by the pandemic but also by climate change and the chronic gaps in coverage and quality of services. The time to act is now; innovation at all levels is no longer optional.

Come work with us and with Source of Innovation! We are calling all stakeholders of the water, sanitation, and solid waste ecosystem to join Source of Innovation and become part of the solution!

Contact us:

[email protected]


Filed Under: Featured, Innovation and data

Sergio I. Campos G.

Sergio I. Campos G. is the head of the water and sanitation team at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Washington D.C. He is responsible of the drinking water, sanitation, water resources management and solid waste portfolio which accounts to approximately USD 9,000 million in 100 projects in the IDB’s 26 member countries. In addition, he manages the Spanish Water and Sanitation Fund for Latin America and the Caribbean (USD 1.1 billion) and the AquaFund, a multi-donor fund for technical cooperation. He has lead the design and implementation of initiatives and special programs with strategic partners in areas such as behavioral change (Lazos de Agua), green infrastructure (Latin American Water Funds Partnership), recycling (Regional Initiative for Inclusive Recycling), among others. In addition, he oversees the application of AquaRating, a platform that evaluates the performance of public utilities; and Hydro-BID, a hydrological simulation tool that has mapped water availability in more than 280,000 watersheds across Latin America and the Caribbean. He is also in charge of the overall WASH knowledge and communications agenda (including publications, blogs, MOOCs, SPOCs, presentations), with an average of 12 technical publications a year. Prior to joining the Bank, Mr. Campos led the structuring of large water and sanitation infrastructure programs with sovereign guarantee and worked on structuring merger and acquisition projects in transport, energy, water and sanitation and telecommunications, as well as in reengineering projects, business consulting, and microfinance. Mr. Campos is an economist with Master’s degrees in Finances and Public Policy by the Georgetown University.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jorge Alvarez says

    December 8, 2021 at 1:11 am

    La tecnología de saneamiento está, así como el conocimiento y la innovación con Nanotecnología, considerando la eliminación de virus y patógenos en general.
    Como siempre, el financiamiento no está a la altura.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

FOLLOW US

Suscribete

Search

Recent Posts

  • The challenges Irma, Morelia and Sobeida face to obtain water in Guatemala
  • The Future of Sócrates in Pampa Hermosa
  • Innovation meets resilience: Tackling desertification in the Atacama Desert
  • Innovate & Integrative: A Study Tour Journey Through South Korea’s Water, Sanitation, and Solid Waste Management Schemes and Technologies
  • Water Transforms Lives in Rural Communities of Ecuador

Footer

Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo
facebook
twitter
youtube
youtube
youtube

    Blog posts written by Bank employees:

    Copyright © Inter-American Development Bank ("IDB"). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons IGO 3.0 Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives. (CC-IGO 3.0 BY-NC-ND) license and may be reproduced with attribution to the IDB and for any non-commercial purpose. No derivative work is allowed. Any dispute related to the use of the works of the IDB that cannot be settled amicably shall be submitted to arbitration pursuant to the UNCITRAL rules. The use of the IDB's name for any purpose other than for attribution, and the use of IDB's logo shall be subject to a separate written license agreement between the IDB and the user and is not authorized as part of this CC- IGO license. Note that link provided above includes additional terms and conditions of the license.


    For blogs written by external parties:

    For questions concerning copyright for authors that are not IADB employees please complete the contact form for this blog.

    The opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the IDB, its Board of Directors, or the countries they represent.

    Attribution: in addition to giving attribution to the respective author and copyright owner, as appropriate, we would appreciate if you could include a link that remits back the IDB Blogs website.



    Privacy Policy

    Derechos de autor © 2025 · Magazine Pro en Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

    Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo

    Aviso Legal

    Las opiniones expresadas en estos blogs son las de los autores y no necesariamente reflejan las opiniones del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo, sus directivas, la Asamblea de Gobernadores o sus países miembros.

    facebook
    twitter
    youtube
    This site uses cookies to optimize functionality and give you the best possible experience. If you continue to navigate this website beyond this page, cookies will be placed on your browser.
    To learn more about cookies, click here
    x
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT