Physics, health, and sargassum: cooperation, science, and innovation in Latin America
Examples of how Latin America is addressing different environmental and scientific challenges through cooperation and innovation have the potential to transform regional development. From managing sargassum as a transnational phenomenon to the role of scientific infrastructure in regional integration, these valuable experiences chart concrete paths toward partnerships that promote academic knowledge and evidence-based solutions.
At the recent science diplomacy workshop organized by the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), Brazil's Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MCTI), and the Center for Strategic Studies and Management (CGEE), dfferent researchers shared information on the partnerships that have been created or are needed to address the region's challenges. Participants had the opportunity to learn new perspectives and approaches to scientific cooperation through practical examples.
For Ulises Barres, director of the Latin American Physics Center (CLAF), the key to cooperation lies in embracing the global dimension of both data and data infrastructures. Innovation centers must maintain a global portfolio of industries and cooperate with dozens of other institutions in a permanent exchange of knowledge and technologies. This is what enables the training of human resources with the latest international advances.
The creation of an innovation ecosystem also offers opportunities for social transformation through cooperation between countries. This is the case of the Cooperative Intelligence Platform for Primary Health Care (PICAPS), presented by Edward Maia, from FIOCRUZ (Brazil). PICAPS brings together digital innovation (digital health), service innovation (epidemiological intelligence), social innovation (territorial radar), and educational innovation (tele-guidance or virtual communication between a health user and a health professional) to improve the health outcomes of the population based on the use of continuously monitored data in decision-making.
A pending challenge in the region is the management of sargassum, a group of brown algae that is becoming increasingly common in the Caribbean beaches. By releasing toxic gases such as hydrogen sulfide, methane, and carbon dioxide, its presence affects health, the fishing and tourism sectors, and the stability of the inhabitants' livelihoods. According to Ligia Collado-Vides, a researcher at Florida International University, managing sargassum requires a multisectoral and multidisciplinary diplomatic effort to obtain adaptive financing, assess the different impacts, and integrate working groups across relevant sectors.
These experiences reflect how science diplomacy can become a strategic tool for addressing complex challenges from a regional perspective. By integrating technical knowledge, social innovation, and international cooperation, Latin America is building capacities to respond in a more coordinated and equitable manner to the impacts of climate change and other global challenges. The workshop presentations highlight the transformative potential of science in decision-making, as well as the urgency of strengthening partnerships to scale up sustainable solutions throughout the region.
The free certificate course “Scientific Diplomacy and Global Environmental Change in the Americas”, developed by the IAI, the University of São Paulo, InnSciD, and CAENI, is available on the IAI’s Virtual Campus.
All presentations (in their original language) from the “Science Diplomacy for Sustainable Development in Latin America: Integrating Science, Policy, and Society for the SDGs” workshop can be downloaded here.