In 1972, the National Council for Scientific and Technological Research, CONICIT, (Consejo Nacional para la Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas) was established to strengthen Costa Rica’s capacity to foster science and technology. Today, CONICIT provides funding and training for researchers and scientists, grants loans for technological development and scientific research, and donates equipment and materials to laboratories and research centers in the public and private sectors. CONICIT has helped introduce new research practices, new technologies in a variety of sectors, and public policy mechanisms intended to foster innovation. For example, it funded a group of researchers from the School of Biology at the University of Costa Rica who developed an organic method for protecting palm trees from bacteria that attack them and can ruin up to half a plantation. It has also funded new technology to help improve the detection of pre-cancerous growths. Using video endoscopes, doctors can better monitor, track and analyze lesions along the digestive tracks of patients, enabling them to improve the diagnosis of cancer, identify precancerous lesions in hundreds of patients, and establish epidemiological patterns and frequency of early and advanced gastric cancer.

PROINNOVA is the technology transfer, intellectual property and innovation management office of the University of Costa Rica (UCR). It was created in 2005 to foster a better understanding of innovation processes and improve the management of intellectual property in Costa Rica. One of the weak points of innovation implementation in Latin America is the lack of integration between universities and the private sector. PROINNOVA is a clear example of what can and should be done. It has contributed to the creation of a National Innovation System in Costa Rica and to the development of strategic alliances between the UCR and Costa Rica’s private companies. Both work together on intellectual property topics such as copyright and industrial secrets transfer. PROINNOVA participates by publishing two guides: Ideario (Idea Repertoire) and Buscador Inteligente (Intelligent Search Engine). Both guides explain how an innovation can be implemented and nurtured. PROINNOVA complements the guides with courses on the subject. Its ideas have been adopted by other universities in Central America and Mexico. PROINNOVA is a member of the United States’s Association of University Technology Managers.

Established in 1985 by Steve Aronson, Café Britt harvests, roasts and ships gourmet coffee and is a high-end chocolate manufacturer in Costa Rica. It has expanded to offer fair trade and gourmet coffee from Peru and Mexico, as well as fine food products and specialty gifts and the company has wholesale and online sales in 20 countries. By 2010, it employed 850 people, operated more than 50 stores in key tourist locations in Costa Rica and in the airports of Lima, Santiago, Curaçao, Miami, Antigua and Mexico. The Café Britt stores provide a unique opportunity to move up the value chain and to market the Costa Rican coffee to global customers. It has coffee and chocolate production facilities in Costa Rica and in Peru. In 2009, revenues were US$60 million. The company’s core value as a country-of-origin producer with strong local identity remains a guiding principle as it continues to expand in the region. Café Britt is a patron of the arts and a partner in community development and environmental protection. It pays fair prices to local farmers who produce consistently high quality coffee. In 2009, for a second consecutive year, Café Britt was ranked a top business leader in Central America by regional business publication Summa Magazine.

Tourism has become the second-largest generator of foreign direct investment in Costa Rica. It generates US$2.14 billion per year, contributes 7.2% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product and employs almost 15% of the population. Grupo Islita leads a group of Costa Rican enterprises with the common goal of promoting responsible tourism practices that foster cultural authenticity, economic opportunity, and optimum environmental standards. As a member of the World Heritage Alliance for Sustainable Tourism, Grupo Islita is committed to promoting and preserving World Heritage Sites through sustainable tourism. Hotel Punta Islita, one of the hotels of the group, has helped to create 20 successful micro companies, including two small restaurants, a fish processing plant, two guest transport companies, a motor bike repair shop, a contractor, two convenience stores, a souvenir shop, and five established community arts groups. 52% of the money the hotel generates is invested in the local communities. It is well known for the amount and diversity of training that it provides to employees, investing in skills as a way to invest in innovation, such as workshops in arts development and English as a second language, and has awarded scholarships for a Bachelor's Degree in Digital Animation, spa therapist programs, and an aesthetician technical degree. Hotel Punta Islita has been recognized by travel publications and responsible tourism organizations for its top-level service and commitment to sustainability. In 2009, it was named ‘World’s best service - Central and South America’ and included in the top 500 hotels by Travel and Leisure Magazine. In 2010, the hotel was the winner of the Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism award.

Founded in Costa Rica in 1970, Grupo Monge is a leading family-owned retailer of consumer electronics, household appliances and furniture in Central America, serving mainly low and middle-to-low income consumers. It now has 325 stores in the region. The company’s activities include a wholesaling operation in Costa Rica and a consumer finance arm that complements the retailing business by providing customers with financing for in-store purchases. Grupo Monge’s innovative business model consists of applying the latest retailing processes to an underserved market segment traditionally serviced by informal, unorganized, and often more expensive, stores. Another distinct aspect of Grupo Monge is its strong social responsibility programs, such as “A Centroamérica le tengo Fe” and “Apoyo Comunitario”. These two programs have granted 1,000 scholarships and have helped over 10,000 families in the region, introducing information and communication technologies into schools. As a result of this and other programs like Grupo Monge’s, Costa Rica has one of highest concentrations of computers in classrooms in Latin America. In September 2009, Grupo Monge launched a new furniture line made from wood and renewable materials to promote environmental best practices in the manufacturing process. Currently seven Grupo Monge’s suppliers are implementing these practices and their products are stamped with a green line seal.

In May 2007, social entrepreneur and Ashoka Fellow Laura Lang, along with four institutional partners—a citizen organization, two academic institutions, and a private company, founded Climate Change Friendly Program (CCF). CCF was set up to promote eco-literacy and environmentally responsible ways of living, offering individuals a practical option to compensate for their greenhouse gas emissions by making carbon trading accessible to ordinary citizens and small businesses in Costa Rica. The group aims to combat climate change through the reforestation of degraded areas throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. CCF calculates average carbon emissions from everyday activities (i.e. car travel) and determines the number of trees that must be planted to offset these emissions. Interested individuals and companies can purchase a certificate or sticker that identifies them as carbon neutral. The entity uses the funds to replant native species in high-priority areas in Costa Rica. During its first year of operation, CCF raised US$40.000 and planted 6,500 trees. One year later, 35,000 trees were planted. The trees are monitored for three years and replaced if necessary. Lang is exploring opportunities for international replication with environmental organizations in Central America and the Caribbean. Within the next five years she envisions CCF as an international initiative channelling financial resources into reforestation, recycling, sustainable agriculture and alternative energy sources.