Solutions of notable relevance that lead to savings in material and financial resources, benefit public health, introduce new sectors, and bring innovation to various processes highlight the creativity, dedication, and initiative of the recipients of the Award for the Innovator with the Greatest Economic and/or Social Impact.
As every year, the National Association of Innovators and Rationalizers (Anir) grants this recognition, which in its 23rd edition was awarded to 28 men and women from different provinces across the country, with strong representation in the communications, energy, and mining sectors.
In a modest ceremony held this Friday in Havana, the honorees and their families received the award from Lidier Niurka María González Orberá, member of the Organizing Committee of the 22nd Congress of the Cuban Workers’ Central (CTC); Cira Piñero Alonso, First Deputy Minister of Education; and Andrea Armas Rodríguez, Director of Science, Technology, and Innovation at the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Environment (CITMA).
The awardees’ contributions stand out for helping fulfill the mission of their organizations and, in some cases, being applied or expanded to others. Notable areas include the digitalization of society, telecommunications services, and support for the banking process.
Other examples involve the use of artificial intelligence in local development, reducing the causes and conditions that lead to emergencies and fires in economic facilities through the recovery of fire extinguishers, and technological adaptations to recycle virgin raw materials that were previously discarded—reintegrating them into the production of sacks for agriculture, the sugar, milling, and salt industries, and charcoal.
In the health sector, significant achievements include advances in regenerative biological therapy, the creation of a non-invasive tool that supports pediatric neurosurgery by avoiding surgical procedures, and the use of activated charcoal as a therapeutic tool with a clinical and humanistic approach.
During a discussion with the awardees, Armando Rodríguez Batista, Minister of CITMA, spoke about the collaborative drafting of a proposed General Law on Science, Technology, and Innovation, developed jointly with Anir and various state entities. This proposal will be presented to the Council of Ministers, the Council of State, and the National Assembly of People’s Power for approval.
“It is the law of the innovators. For us, the Cuban innovation system is inclusive; the farmer who cultivates the land, a PhD at a university, a technologist in a company, or an innovator in a hospital are all equally important,” he emphasized.
