CAF claims nature's intelligence at COP30

CAF, Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Oxford TIDE Centre announced at COP30 in Belem do Para, Brazil, the launch of an international innovation challenge aimed at identifying and supporting early-stage ideas and prototypes that apply bio-inspiration principles to address the major challenges to the sustainability of the planet.

This initiative aims to foster innovation ecosystems rooted in the Amazon, Latin America and the Caribbean, and to promote proposals that harness the potential of nature to generate a positive impact in areas such as renewable energy, sustainable mobility, food systems, circular materials and environmental monitoring, among others.

"The extraordinary biodiversity of Latin America and the Caribbean holds the secret to a new model of development that is innovative and inclusive. Our collaboration with Oxford through the Nature's Intelligence Studio materializes this vision: connecting science, policy and entrepreneurship to turn bio-inspired ideas into real solutions for the planet," said Alicia Montalvo, CAF's Climate Action and Positive Biodiversity Manager.

For his part, Amir Lebdioui, professor at the TIDE Centre at Oxford University, said that "we must connect human intelligence, artificial intelligence and natural intelligence". As an example, he explained that birds can predict hurricanes long before humans. How? "We don't know, but that shows that nature has an intelligence that we have to learn from."

CAF executive María Moreno also outlined the institution's work to address the problem of biodiversity loss, which includes alliances with universities, research centers and scientific communities. "The Ideathon is part of this work with which we want to integrate technological and natural innovation, making an international call for top-level solutions."

The Ideathon will be the first activity of the recently created Nature's Intelligence Studio (NIS), of the University of Oxford through its TIDE Center, which seeks to connect research, public policy and innovation. Its goal is to develop a bio-inspired innovation ecosystem and scale new ventures based on emerging ideas from the Amazon.

Who the Ideathon is aimed at

The Ideathon is aimed primarily at interdisciplinary teams from Latin America and the Caribbean, although exceptional proposals from other regions with strong links to the local context will also be considered. Projects must demonstrate scientific rigor, feasibility and a clear potential for scalability and impact.

As recognition, up to five finalist teams will be invited to a three-day immersion retreat in Brazil, with travel and accommodation expenses covered, and will receive specialized mentoring from experts from Oxford University and CAF. In addition, the top three projects will be integrated into Nature's Intelligence Studio pipeline for ongoing technical and venture support, while all participants will receive visibility and certification through Oxford's TIDE Center.