The EU-LAC Social Accelerator is a flagship initiative of the European Union under its Inclusive Societies in Latin America and the Caribbean Programme. It aims to reduce inequalities and strengthen social cohesion across the region—placing youth, women, and vulnerable groups at the heart of its mission. By fostering socially just, inclusive, and sustainable green and digital transitions, the programme ensures that development benefits reach those who need them most.

With an EU contribution of €15 million over four years (2025–2029), the programme will strengthen social innovation ecosystems across Latin America and the Caribbean by connecting public institutions, the private sector, and civil society to co-create and scale impactful solutions.

The EU-LAC Social Accelerator is led by CAINCO (Bolivia) and implemented by a consortium of partners including Tecnalia Research and Innovation (Spain), the International Trade Centre (ITC), the Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico), and the Caribbean Export Development Agency.

Complementing the Global Gateway Investment Agenda (GGIA), the programme ensures that the green and digital transitions in Latin America and the Caribbean are socially just and inclusive, creating opportunities that reach women, youth, and vulnerable communities. By integrating social innovation into the GGIA framework, it aligns investment priorities with initiatives that generate tangible social impact, climate resilience, and equitable economic growth.

The objectives of the programme are to:

• Develop and strengthen social innovation ecosystems that address pressing social challenges and support inclusive green and digital transitions.
• Boost the capacity of social innovation actors—including MSMEs, start-ups, and community organisations—through training, mentorship, incubation, and acceleration.
• Facilitate access to financing by launching competitive calls for proposals, providing seed capital, and mobilising investment in high-impact social sectors.
• Promote collaboration and visibility for social innovation at both regional and global levels through networking, policy dialogue, and international exchanges.

Caribbean Export, as a key member of the consortium, will lead activities in Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Barbados, and Trinidad & Tobago, including the establishment of national Social Innovation Poles—hubs for collaboration between public, private, and civil society actors—conducting ecosystem mapping, and designing country roadmaps aligned with the EU-LAC agenda.

By combining capacity building, financing, partnership development, and international visibility—and by aligning with the Global Gateway Investment Agenda—the EU-LAC Social Accelerator will leave a lasting legacy of stronger, more connected, and more resilient social innovation ecosystems, empowering communities and driving inclusive, sustainable growth across the Caribbean and beyond.