
OAS, Cisco, and Citi Foundation announce winners of Cybersecurity Innovation Fund

WASHINGTON, USA - The Organization of American States (OAS), Cisco and the Citi Foundation announced the winners of the first edition of the Cybersecurity Innovation Fund within the framework of the International Girls in ICT Day. The Fund, endowed with US $200,000, will finance 12 projects in Latin America whose proposals seek to solve various cybersecurity challenges in the areas of education, capacity building, cybersecurity for SMEs, critical infrastructure, incident response mechanisms and digital crimes.
From the 117 projects nominated, the selection committee of the OAS, Cisco and Citi selected the winning projects based on the criteria of impact, employability, and trajectory of the founding team. These were the beneficiaries:
Most of the winning projects are based in the member countries of the Cybersecurity Innovation Councils, namely Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico. Likewise, more than half of these have a gender and diversity approach both in their leadership and in their expected impact once applied.
The executive secretary of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE), Alison August Treppel highlighted: 'The selection of projects selected for this fund represents the enormous potential that our region has and the common goal of seeking diverse solutions to complex problems. At the OAS, we are convinced that the development of these initiatives will contribute to achieving a safer cyberspace for the citizens of the Americas."
Mario de la Cruz, senior director of government affairs for Latin America at Cisco, pointed out that 'for Cisco, it is essential to promote a culture of innovation and awareness in terms of cybersecurity in our region and, at the same time, contribute to the generation of talent where women and girls play a central role. We are convinced that the OAS is the best ally to achieve these shared objectives.'
Likewise, Melissa Pino, vice president of social responsibility at Citi emphasized that 'Citi Foundation is proud to be able to support the diversification and access to careers in cybersecurity and technology. Our alliance with the OAS and Cisco is a perfect example of how different sectors can align themselves to foster and catapult innovation in the region.'

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