Science, technology and innovation for inclusive development in Colombia: Pilot programmes developed by Colciencias1

Colombia has aimed to include social development and inequality reduction as objectives of its science, technology and innovation (STI) policy for a number of years. However, this inclusion has been stronger since 2010 with the introduction of the concept of social innovation into the country’s public policy agenda, not only in terms of STI but also in fields of competitiveness, inclusive development, and as a tool for overcoming poverty. There is no single definition of ‘social innovation’ accepted by government agencies to date, although the 2010-2014 National Development Plan ‘Prosperity for Everyone’ proposed the following: Process of design and implementation of ideas for the solution of social, cultural, economic or environmental problems. These ideas often arise as a result of adverse conditions in environments where the market has not provided alternatives and the public sector has not responded to the population’s needs and claims. . . Social innovation implies the development of new ways of thinking, operating, co-ordinating and/or including many actors: academia, firms, civil society organisations, multilateral agencies and the public sector. (DNP, 2011) The subject of social innovation is not only on the national agenda, but also on the international one.