Accelerating the Pace of Sustainable Development in Peru

CONCYTEC is Peru’s national institution dedicated to promoting scientific and technological innovation through concerted actions across public, academic, business and social platforms.

Through funding from the World Bank, CONCYTEC launched a series of initiatives to accelerate innovation, known as IVAI (short for Iniciativas de Vinculación para Acelerar la Innovación), in eight regional value chains across Peru. Competitiveness was commissioned to lead this series, along with the European Foundation for Cluster Excellence (EFCE).

The team led the execution of eight initiatives to promote economic development in each value chain. The process began with in-depth survey (composed of field interviews and analytics) to assess the current reality of each sector at the local level, within the context of global market trends. This analysis pinpointed investment priorities in infrastructure, skills, and financing to raise the competitiveness of the private sector. The team facilitated regionally-led approaches by improving communication channels across public, private, and academic institutions. Through these strategic networks, EFCE and Competitiveness led the execution of eight IVAIs covering each of the priority industries: distilled spirits in Lima, mining suppliers in Cajamarca, tropical & sub-tropical superfruits in Madre de Dios, textile & apparel in Arequipa, Andean grains in Ayacucho, wood processing industry in Ucayali, sustainable shrimp aquaculture in Tumbes, and cultural, natural & adventure tourism in Lambayeque and La Libertad.

• Led 240+ hours of training in Cluster Excellence Management:
  Trainers included 16 international professors (from Spain, Estonia, Denmark, Austria, Sweden, Italy, United Kingdom, and United States).
  Trainees consisted of 47 Peruvian public servants from entities such as the Ministry of Production, the Commission for the Promotion of Peruvian Exports and Tourism (PROMPERÚ), and the Technological Institute of Peru Production (ITP).
• Execution of three phases for each of the eight innovation initiatives:
  Phase One: Assess current situation of each industry and local value chain.
  Phase Two: Identify competitive positioning for local value chain.
  Phase Three: Define roadmap.
• Engagement of +70 stakeholders from public sector in kick-off and briefing meetings.
• Engagement of +500 key cluster actors in public-private dialogues, whereby progress was reported for each phase of the initiative.
• Coordination of eight benchmark studies involving interviews with +100 industry representatives from 18 countries (from United States, Canada, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Costa Rica, Spain, UK, Denmark, Netherlands, France, Italy, Switzerland, Japan and South Korea).
• Completion of +24 sessions to define strategy alongside local stakeholders within the eight value chains.
• Definition of 37 action lines and 34 public policy reform proposals.
• Publication of eight summaries (one per each IVAI) outlining process and achievements.