The RIAC-ACF COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE: A SPACE TO CONNECT, SHARE AND EXCHANGE WITH OTHERS A Community of Practice (CoP) Knowledge is a mixture of experience, values, information, and know-how that can all help us to make our actions more efficient and effective. A Community of Practice (CoP) is a group of people with common academic and professional backgrounds that get together to share ideas, find solutions, innovate and join efforts towards the continuous development of knowledge on a specific topic. CoPs are learning partnerships and are emerging in social science as useful tools to help people use the experiences of others as a learning resource. The RIAC-ACF Community of Practice As the sharing of knowledge and ideas is one of the key objectives of the ACF and RIAC, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago decided, in partnership with the Compete Caribbean Programme and RIAC, to establish a virtual RIAC-ACF Community of Practice, hosted at: In the lead up towards the VIII Americas Competitiveness Forum (held on October 8-10, 2014, in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago), the Community focused on deepening the exchange of knowledge on the main theme of the 2014 ACF: “The Human Imagination at Work: Driving Competitiveness, Powering Innovation.” This exchange took place through a series of dialogues centred on innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship. To create the CoP, Trinidad and Tobago, in its capacity as host of the VIII ACF and 2014 Chair Pro Tempore of RIAC, partnered with Compete Caribbean, a private sector development program that is jointly funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) and the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Development of Canada (DFATD). Compete’s Projects in the OECS countries are implemented in partnership with the Caribbean Development Bank. The Organization of American States (OAS), in its capacity as Technical Secretariat of the RIAC, provides support to the efforts of the CoP and the webinars. Results to date: 14, 000 unique site visits 300 active members, Including young entrepreneurs, students, academics, government officials, and members of investment promotion agencies from the LAC region. Hosted 2 formal e-Discussions and 2 webinars Developed Event Workspaces which act as repositories of Institutional knowledge for various past RIAC events. Created s everal features available for members, including Event updates, announcements, document library, discussion spaces, coordination of webinars and event workspaces. As a fledgling online collaborative space, the RIAC-ACF CoP has significant room for growth and as yet untapped potential. In 2015, the CoP can continue helping to bring key new players into the ACF dialogue while supporting ongoing collaboration and exchange among regional members ahead of the 2015 Forum in Guatemala. Maximizing its full potential, the CoP can serve as the main repository of knowledge for the RIAC and an essential platform for the promotion of direct interaction among RIAC members.

e-Discussion Brief: The Human Imagination, Innovation and Competitiveness in the Caribbean: Small State Challenges and Opportunities, Webinar Summary: The Human Imagination, Innovation and Competitiveness March 11, 2014 Lead Presentation by Senator the Honourable Dr. Bhoendradatt Tewarie, Minister of Planning and Sustainable Development of Trinidad & Tobago and 2014 RIAC Chair Pro Tempore. Moderated by Mr. Kieron Swift, Business Unit Manager, Trinidad & Tobago Council for Competitiveness. Moderated by Keith Nurse, Executive Director of UWI Consulting Inc. and WTO Chair at the University of the West Indies. Key Outputs: Proposed indicators to measure small state innovation and competitiveness, as well as a series of policies, business support mechanisms, and institutional arrangements to drive innovation and competitiveness in the Caribbean. Key Outputs: Insights on channeling the distinct cultural experiences of Latin America and the Caribbean into competitive economic activities, as well as ideas on collaboration among countries to address asymmetries of resources and capacity to develop thriving innovation ecosystems. e-Discussion Brief: Productive Development Policies and their application in Latin America and the Caribbean, October 2, 2014 August 26 – September 14, 2014 Moderated by Claudia Stevenson, Lead Specialist at the Division of Innovation and Competitiveness of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Presented by Mónica Panadeiro, Senior Economist at the Foundation for Latin American Economic Research (FIEL). Key Outputs: An overview of Productive Development Policies, their deployment and performance in Latin America and The Caribbean. In particular, lessons learned from the application of Productive Development Policies were identified, arising from a discussion on specific examples from case studies on Suriname and The Bahamas. Key Outputs: Proposed policies and initiatives, such as (1) Observatories to map the diaspora community and gauge Their interest in engaging with origin country; (2) Virtual communities to engage with and connect Diaspora entrepreneurs/investors and share information; (4) one-stop- shop support services for diasporic business activities, pooling resources regionally/sub-regionally. The Community of Practice Aims & Audience The CoP was conceived as an online space for knowledge sharing and information dissemination in preparation for the VIII Americas Competitiveness Forum. The community has focused on topics such as innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship with the objectives of: 300 people including young entrepreneurs, students, academics, government officials, and members of investment promotion agencies from the wider LAC region. 14,000 page views Deepening the exchange of knowledge prior to the Forum Providing input into the panel discussions of the VIII ACF Fostering collaborative experiences among the wider innovation and competitiveness community in the Americas Activities & Knowlede Products In 2014 the Community hosted a number of exchanges. The rich dialogue and lessons arising from these activities are captured in the Knowledge Products listed below. For full details, visit the CoP at e-Discussion Brief: Policy Options for Latin America and the Caribbean - Engaging Diasporic Entrepreneurs and Investors for Innovation and Growth, July 15 - August 3, 2014

The RIAC-ACF Community of Practice at a glance AT A GLANCE: This community serves as an online space for collaboration and discussion on competitiveness and Innovation. Check out our features: Workspaces Bar Menu Twitter corner Highlights Discussion Support contact Latest resources Latest resources

La Comunidad de Práctica RIAC-FCA en un vistazo EN UN VISTAZO Nuestra comunidad es un espacio virtual de colaboración y discusión sobre la competitividad y la innovación. Ofrecemos: Espacios de Trabajo Menú de navegación Esquina Twitter Contenido resaltado Discusión Contacto para apoyo Documentos recientes Eventos recientes