Five initiatives receive awards for their contribution to the development of the Information Society in Latin America and the Caribbean

Montevideo, June 11.- Casa de Internet de Latinoamérica y el Caribe announced that five initiatives that have made a significant contribution to the development of the Information Society in Latin America and the Caribbean have been recognized by the Regional Fund for Digital Innovation in Latin America and the Caribbean (FRIDA).

The winning initiatives are from Brazil, Costa Rica, Uruguay – one is regional in scope – and have been honored with the FRIDA 2014 Award+ (programafrida.net) for their contribution in the following areas:

  • Devices, Infrastructure and Technologies. Broadening and Accelerating ICT Adoption.
  • Creating and Developing Skills and Content for Sustainable Human Development.
  • Mobile Internet for Social Inclusion, Growth, Political Participation, and Active Citizenship.
  • Internet for Promoting, Guaranteeing and Exercising Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

The fifth Award was presented to an Argentinian initiative that received the highest number of votes from the public and, in turn, was considered to be the most creative by the Judging Panel.

In addition, proposals from Mexico and Venezuela received a special mention for taking second place, as did a regional initiative.

This fifth edition of the program, the 2014 FRIDA Awards+, honored those initiatives which, over the past few years, have encouraged the development and deployment of Information Technologies in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Since 2013, each project applying for the Award can also apply for additional support (up to US$ 6,000) to carry out new activities within the framework of the proposed project. These funds were awarded to Flor de Ceibo and Tiflolibros, Uruguayan and Argentinian initiatives, respectively.

The FRIDA Awards are presented by the FRIDA Program (the Regional Fund for Digital Innovation in Latin America and the Caribbean), an initiative of the Internet Address Registry for Latin America and Caribbean (LACNIC), with the financial support of the International Development Research Center (IDRC), the Internet Society (ISOC), and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

In addition to a cash prize, winners will receive financial assistance to attend the Latin American Internet Governance Forum (LACIGF) to be held in San Salvador on 16-18 July, and the Internet Governance Forum to be held in Istanbul on 2-5 September, 2014.

WINNERS BY CATEGORY

Devices, Infrastructure and Technologies. Broadening and Accelerating ICT Adoption

Expediente Digital Único en Salud (EDUS, a Unified Digital Health Record) – COSTA RICA. Initiative: Government

http://programafrida.net/projects/projects/view/428

Creating and Developing Skills and Content for Sustainable Human Development

BRAZIL 4D – Government Services and Information through Interactive Public DTV for Low Income Population – BRAZIL. Initiative: Government

http://programafrida.net/projects/projects/view/466

Mobile Internet for Social Inclusion, Growth, Political Participation, and Active Citizenship

Linguoo – REGIONAL. Initiative: Private Sector

http://programafrida.net/projects/projects/view/413

Internet for Promoting, Guaranteeing and Exercising Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms

Flor de Ceibo – URUGUAY. Initiative: Academia

http://programafrida.net/projects/projects/view/426

+VOTED +CREATIVE Initiative

Tiflolibros – Digital Library for the Blind - A network where the visually impaired can meet and share  – ARGENTINA. Initiative: Civil Society

http://programafrida.net/projects/projects/view/440

Second place mentions were also presented to "LATIn – Latin American Open Text Book Initiative" (Regional, Academia); "Free Internet for All" (Mexico, Civil Society), and "Remote Telephone Support Centers" (Venezuela, private initiative).

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