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IDB announces winner of the 2019 Superheroes of Development Award

The winning IDB-financed project developed a new solution to monitor public infrastructure works and to empower citizens to evaluate the use of public resources in Honduras.

WASHINGTON D.C., September 12, 2019. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) announced the winner of the Superheroes of Development contest, an award given to executing agencies that have successfully implemented innovative solutions in projects financed by the IDB.

The main objective of this award is to recognize new ideas that improved the project performance through systematic learning and knowledge exchange. In the second edition of this international contest,  a total of 82 proposals from 26 countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean were submitted

The eight finalists travelled to IDB’s Headquarters in Washington D.C. to share their experiences with IDB staff and to present their solutions to an international jury as part of IDB’s knowledge week. This committee evaluated the finalists based on four criteria: relevance of the execution challenge presented; implemented solution to address it; lessons learned that emerged from the experience; and quality of the presentation at the end of the knowledge week.

The winning proposal, “Innovation comes flying” (La innovación viene volando, in Spanish), is part of a transport program that is improving the road connectivity in Honduras and contributing to the regional integration of Central America and is being executed by INVEST Honduras, the governmental agency in charge of implementing public works projects..

During the implementation of the project, the executing agency identified the impossibility of having data to effectively monitor construction as the main challenge for the successful implementation of the project, and decided to seek a way to shareinformation regarding its progress with civil society. To address it, INVEST Honduras created a multidisciplinary team that not only researched the use of new technologies applied to infrastructure project management, but also explored ways to share this information with citizens, to automatically verify the project’s progress using artificial intelligence, and to evaluate its viability. 

The IDB will share the success stories of the winning team and the rest of the finalists across Latin America and the Caribbean so their experiences can help improve the execution of projects and the preparation of new IDB operations throughout the region.  

About the IDB

The Inter-American Development Bank is devoted to improving lives. Established in 1959, the IDB is a leading source of long-term financing for economic, social and institutional development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The IDB also conducts cutting-edge research and provides policy advice, technical assistance and training to public and private sector clients throughout the region.

External Contacts

Andrea Ortega

Andrea Ortega
Additional Contacts

Superheroes of Development Team

Superheroes of Development Team
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