Strengthening democracy through technology is the goal of the Innovation Lab for Democracy (InnovaLab), an initiative that aims to become a national benchmark for connecting democracy with social transformation.

The project's goal is to move from problem to solution. How? Through collaborative intelligence, interdisciplinarity, open innovation, participation, and learning by doing.

This means that first, it will bring together key players with diverse backgrounds who apply collective intelligence to a problem; second, it will implement new work methodologies; and third, it will develop innovative proposals.

InnovaLab was launched last January by the civic movement Participación Ciudadana, in coordination with the Technological Institute of the Americas (ITLA) and the Dominican Chamber of Information and Communication Technologies (Cámara TIC).

Recently, Carlos Pimentel, Executive Director of Citizen Participation, Ruth Henríquez, Citizen Participation Collaborator, and José Armando Tavárez, Director of ITLA, presented the project to the members of the ICT Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic (AMCHAMDR) during a regular session.

“Innovalab seeks to be a catalyst for research, development, prototyping, and action projects aimed at building a more democratic, transparent, and socially just country,” Pimentel said.

The ITLA Director emphasized the importance of supporting this project, as he believes it will contribute to strengthening the country's democracy and demonstrate how technology can help find solutions to the country's problems.

InnovaLab is sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Canadian Funds. It will also have an Advisory Council to propose and analyze topics.

What initiatives have been developed by InnovaLab?

According to the Director of Citizen Participation, citizen monitoring and social control must be supported by technological tools. In this regard, he plans to develop initiatives such as "Be Careful with Your Vote" and "Polétika," among others.

Be careful with your vote: This is a map for locating electoral crimes. It was attempted in the last municipal elections and resulted in a total of 58 complaints received, of which 32 were assessed and 26 rejected.

The tool, which was developed by young people between the ages of 23 and 27, draws on information from designated observers and media reports, which it then verifies and enters into the system.

Polétika Dominican Republic: It is a tool for monitoring, analyzing, and putting pressure on electoral political discourse, as a way to analyze and hold candidates accountable for their promises.