Making Waves

Making Waves

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A Caribbean Social Innovation Guide

Dominican Republic Data Bites Country Profile Snapshots

57 % The Capital Centralization Bottleneck The clear majority of all mapped innovation actors, accelerators, and funding offices clustered exclusively inside Greater Santo Domingo.

61 % Frontline Female Leadership The high percentage of local social purpose organizations and community associations led by women.

01 . Understanding Social Innovation in the Caribbean 36.8 % High-Level Executive Balance

24.7 % Youth NEET Rate The share of young Dominicans who are Not in Employment, Education, or Training, emphasizing the crucial need for inclusive enterprise pathways.

The portion of active ventures where women make up at least half or more of the top executive management team.

5 Distinctive Territorial Poles

Greater Santo Domingo; Santiago/Cibao Norte; South/Southwest; Border/Northwest; and Eastern/Tourism. The geographical layout used to frame national strategy featured thematic Innovation Poles: Education, Environment, Entrepreneurship, Inclusion, and Health & Community Wellbeing* Greater Santo Domingo operates as the national backbone and systems coordination hub; Santiago/ Cibao Norte drives human capital, entrepreneurship, and innovation diffusion; the South/Southwest advances social inclusion and climate resilience; the Border/Northwest focuses on migration, inclusion, and territorial stability; and the Eastern/Coastal region promotes inclusive employment, blue economy development, and private sector engagement.