Two Major Programmes to Foster Digital Innovation and Strengthen Climate Resilience

On the heels of high-level policy dialogue including partners from the European Union (EU) and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), the EU-LAC Digital Alliance is spotlighting two major programmes to foster digital innovation and strengthen climate resilience in Jamaica and the region.

The programmes were highlighted by EU Ambassador to Jamaica, Her Excellency Dr. Erja Askola, during a press briefing at the EU Delegation’s office in Kingston, on Friday (June 6).

She indicated that the high-level talks, which sought to define concrete digital cooperation opportunities in the lead-up to the 2025 Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC)-EU Summit, were successful.

Ambassador Askola highlighted the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator and the Diversifying Weather Forecasting and Building Climate Change Adaptation Tools Programmes, noting that they illustrate how the Digital Alliance translates political will into tangible, impactful action.

Pointing to the Atlantic Hurricane Season, which began on June 1 and runs until November 30, she said the weather forecasting programme is timely and important.

“Our cooperation in weather forecasting tools reflect a shared and urgent concern across the region on climate resilience. As we enter the hurricane season, we stand ready to reinforce the regional efforts to enhance early warning systems and emergency preparedness,” Dr. Askola said.

She explained that in this regard, the EU has established a strategic partnership with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH), through which it can provide support across the climate services value chain.

“This partnership is designed to directly strengthen climate adaptation and resilience, particularly in priority sectors such as agriculture, water, and disaster risk reduction,” the Ambassador affirmed.

She pointed out that the EU has a long-standing track record in developing and enhancing early warning systems, both globally and in climate-vulnerable regions like the Caribbean.

“In this context, we are leveraging European flagship programmes and tools such as the Copernicus, which is a satellite imaging service, and the Destination Earth, which is an Earth observation system that we have put in place in Europe,” Dr. Askola explained.

Regarding the second programme being implemented (the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator), the EU Ambassador said the programme is designed to foster digital innovation through collaboration between start-ups and corporations across both regions.

Under the Digital Accelerator Programme, the EU recently launched Digital Connectors Jamaica, which builds on a partnership with the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) and the Caribbean Export Development Agency (CEDA), launched earlier this year.

“Thanks to this initiative, Jamaican start-ups participating in the Accelerator can now access grant funding of up to US$50,000. And this is meant for collaborative projects with Latin American or European corporations or corporates,” the Ambassador explained.

She added that this funding will complement the acceleration services already offered by the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator, valued at up to €40,000, plus a €7,000 grant for start-ups developing a proof of concept, enhancing the overall support that is available to Jamaican start-ups.

In his remarks, Managing Director of the DBJ, David Lowe, noted that the Connectors programme is focused on building a culture of innovation, where established companies can access new ideas and where start-ups can gain critical industry insight, experience and market validation for their proof of concept.

“Through this model, we aim to tackle real-world business challenges and create scalable solutions developed by Jamaica’s most promising innovators. By creating new opportunities for job creation and investment, we hope to see the continued growth through this programme,” Mr. Lowe said.

He pointed out that the main outcomes expected from the programme include enabling Jamaican start-ups to offer services internationally, introducing local corporates to the corporate venturing model as a tool for internal innovation and strengthening the financial support ecosystem for start-ups at the critical growth stage.

“Over the next year, we anticipate that our corporate venturing programme will support up to five Jamaican innovative start-ups to develop and implement solutions with these grants,” the Managing Director shared.

He added that the EU Accelerator Programme is fully aligned with the DBJ’s mission to facilitate sustainable economic development by supporting entrepreneurship, innovation and business growth.