Futura Finds New Areas for Innovation During COVID-19

Oranjestad, Aruba — September 9th, 2020 – During a time when the world faces unprecedented challenges due to COVID-19, it’s more important than ever to share the stories of the innovators and entrepreneurs who are working tirelessly to keep people healthy and connected to each other.

The Aruba government innovation lab, known as Futura, has been working on creating products and services that have the potential to reduce the spread of the virus, improve the tourism experience, and create community when in-person gatherings are not possible.

Here, we’ve highlighted a few of the initiatives that Futura has implemented so far.

• Connectivity and Support for Elderly Previously used tablets for educational projects were temporarily repurposed for elderly care homes to help the elderly keep in touch with their loved ones during social distancing measures.
• Community App In an effort to get the community to engage with each other, an app was developed by Futura to gather important data.
• Cybersecurity Awareness Guidelines were developed and promoted by Futura in coordination with the VDA, CBA, NCTVI, and the Cybersecurity Task Force, in an effort to highlight the importance of cybersecurity within the community.
• Innovation Support for the Department of Public Health Futura coordinated the allocation of 10 tablets to DVG to be used for quarantine intake and monitoring purposes.
• Department of Public Health Quarantine App Futura was an advisor, liaison, and coordinator in the development of a Quarantine App created by the Department of Public Health which is currently being used for monitoring quarantine.

We’ve also seen this think-tank adapt some of their former projects to fit the needs of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most notably, Futura is involving the community in their ideation process.

• 100 Innovations An open innovation program redesigned to table COVID19 challenges with actionable ideas and solutions. As needed, Futura and partners will help guide participants to polish ideas and connect them with collaborators to actualize their projects.
• District 297 A platform that was designed to engage the Aruba Diaspora, and redesigned to help Aruba diversify its economy in the wake of the current crisis we are facing brought on by COVID-19.
• The Mobile Marketspace Along with the collaboration of Metabolic Foundation and Biblioteca Nacional Mo-B Lab refocused resources in the wake of COVID-19 to manufacture protective gear and supplies for HealthCare providers.
• Innovation in Education In recent months several initiatives have kicked off for Innovation in Education. Currently launching initiatives that support home-schooling, connectivity at home, online resources in collaboration with education stakeholders and private partners.

Futura continues with the execution of these initiatives along with many stakeholders to help guide Aruba to innovate during these difficult times. A time when we need to adapt and develop new ideas to get through this crisis together. If you’re interested in partnering with Futura on any of the above-mentioned projects, contact them at hello@futuralab.org.