Innovaap-UCR

What Innovaap-UCR does

Innovaap-UCR (Laboratorio Colaborativo de Innovación Pública) is a collaborative laboratory for public innovation housed within the Escuela de Administración Pública (EAP-UCR) at the Universidad de Costa Rica. Founded in 2017 and based in San Pedro, Montes de Oca, the organization functions as a university social-action project in which students and professors participate voluntarily (approximately 10 hours per week per student). It works directly with Costa Rican public institutions — including the CCSS, MIDEPLAN, RECOPE, CNFL, PANI, and MOPT — as well as municipalities (Siquirres, Tibás), NGOs (FAICO, COOPESIBA), and international partners (GPSDD, Korea-LAC Tech Corps/BID, ESAP Colombia) to co-create solutions for public-sector problems.

The organization does not operate a unified software product. Its portfolio consists of freely downloadable open-source methodology toolkits and resources, including the Public Innovation Toolkit (Kit de herramientas para la innovación pública), Collaboration Networks for Local Innovation (Redes de colaboración para la innovación local), an agile social-project framework, virtual social entrepreneurship tools, and Open Budget School (Escuela Presupuesto Abierto – EPA) materials. Its underlying technology centers on data analytics for development ("Datos para el desarrollo") — supporting decision-making, transparency, and evidence-based public policy — and on co-creation methodologies applied within open government ecosystems. Cumulative impact metrics disclosed include 35,000 data visualizations, 400 persons consulted for service redesign, 300 public officials and citizens trained, and 50 social entrepreneurs trained.

The business model is non-commercial. Innovaap-UCR generates no revenue through product sales or licensing; it operates as a public university extension project. Distribution occurs through direct institutional collaboration and free public download of its methodology resources. The organization is currently positioning around the Congreso de Innovación Pública – Costa Rica 2026 as a national convening platform for institutional leaders, academics, entrepreneurs, and civic organizations.

Name

Innovaap-UCR

Legal name

Innovaap – UCR (Laboratorio Colaborativo de Innovación Pública)

Website

https://innovaap.ucr.ac.cr

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Innovaap-UCR is a non-commercial collaborative laboratory for public innovation within Universidad de Costa Rica's School of Public Administration, serving Costa Rican government institutions, municipalities, and civil society through open-source data-analytics toolkits, co-creation methodologies, and public-sector capacity-building programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Sector Innovation Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Educational Support Services (611710), Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHAEAE

Applied Research & Innovation Universities

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Technical & Polytechnic Universities

SECONDARYEDADAGAD

Institutional Effectiveness & Continuous Improvement Reviews

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Quality Assurance, Compliance & Audit

Keywords

• Public innovation services
• Government data analytics
• Open government tools
• Public service design
• Social innovation training

Headquarters

HQ city

San Pedro

HQ country

Costa Rica

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Non-commercial university research and extension project: Innovaap-UCR is a collaborative laboratory operating under the Escuela de Administración Pública of Universidad de Costa Rica. It operates as a social action project (proyecto de acción social) with voluntary student and professor participation. No commercial revenue model - the project serves public interest through academic extension activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Innovaap-UCR is a collaborative laboratory for public innovation that co-creates data-driven, citizen-centric solutions for Costa Rican public institutions. Its core work spans three portfolio areas: data analytics for development (decision-support visualizations and evidence-based policy), public service innovation (redesign and validation of public services), and social innovation (citizen capacity building and social entrepreneurship). It complements these service offerings with the Open Budget School (EPA) for budget transparency and a set of freely downloadable methodology toolkits for public innovation.

Product overview

Innovaap-UCR is a Collaborative Laboratory for Public Innovation operated by the School of Public Administration at the University of Costa Rica (EAP-UCR). It offers a collection of downloadable methodology tools and resources focused on public innovation rather than a unified software product. The portfolio includes a public innovation toolkit, collaboration network methodologies for local innovation, agile social project frameworks, virtual social entrepreneurship tools, and open government/budget transparency resources. These tools are shared freely to build user-centered innovation capacities across Costa Rican public institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Data Analytics for Development (Datos para el desarrollo)
• Public Service Innovation (Innovación del servicio público)
• Social Innovation (Innovación social)
• Open Budget School (Escuela Presupuesto Abierto - EPA)

Quantifiable outcome

• 35,000 data visualizations developed for decision-making support
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Universidad de Costa Rica - Escuela de Administración Pública (EAP-UCR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovaap-UCR is the Collaborative Laboratory for Public Innovation of the EAP-UCR. The organization operates as a university extension project under the academic direction of the School of Public Administration.
• Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnership focused on sustainable development data and open data initiatives. GPSDD supports data-driven approaches to sustainable development goals.
• Korea-LAC Tech Corps (BID)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKorea-LAC Tech Corps initiative implemented through the Inter-American Development Bank (BID), focused on technology transfer and innovation between Korea and Latin America.
• Escuela Superior de Administración Pública - Colombia (ESAP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration with Colombia's public administration school for training and knowledge exchange in public innovation.
• Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCosta Rica's social security institution, collaborating on public health service innovation and data governance projects.
• Ministerio de Planificación Nacional y Política Económica (MIDEPLAN)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational planning ministry collaborating on planning and policy innovation projects.
• Patronato Nacional de la Infancia (PANI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChild welfare institution collaborating on innovation projects for children's services.
• Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes (MOPT)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInfrastructure ministry collaborating on public infrastructure innovation projects.
• Refinería Costarricense de Petróleo (RECOPE)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState petroleum company collaborating on operational data visualization and analysis projects.
• Compañía Nacional de Fuerza y Luz (CNFL)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational power company collaborating on data governance model development.
• Fundación Amigos de la Isla del Coco (FAICO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental foundation collaborating on social innovation for conservation.
• Municipalidad de SiquirresminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal municipal government collaborating on social perception analysis and local innovation.
• Municipalidad de TibásminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal municipal government collaborating on innovation center development for local entrepreneurship.
• Cooperativa de Servicios de Siquirres (COOPESIBA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal service cooperative collaborating on social innovation projects.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• UNDP Accelerator Labs: Global UN network of public-innovation labs working on sustainable development and citizen engagement — comparable in operating model, co-creation methods, and SDG-aligned outcomes.
• The GovLab (NYU): University-based (NYU) research lab working on governance, open data, and public-sector innovation through applied research and co-creation. Most directly comparable in mission and academic structure.
• Laboratório de Inovação Pública (PUC-Rio): Brazilian university-hosted public innovation lab focused on co-creation with governments in Latin America. Comparable in being a university-embedded lab serving public institutions.
• Innovations for Successful Societies (Princeton): Princeton-based applied research program that documents and supports institutional reform in public agencies. Comparable in mission of strengthening public administration through academic partnerships.
• GobLab UAI (Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez): Chilean university-affiliated public innovation laboratory that uses behavioral science and data analytics to improve government services — closely mirrors Innovaap's regional academic-public-sector hybrid model.

Broad incumbents

• Nesta: UK innovation foundation that runs public-sector innovation programs and methods labs. Comparable in developing and disseminating public-innovation methodologies and tools.
• Code for America: U.S.-based civic-tech nonprofit that builds and advocates for digital public services. Comparable in mission to modernize government through technology, though larger and more product-focused.

Emerging players

• Open Data Institute: UK-based nonprofit focused on open data ecosystems and evidence-based policy — comparable in promoting open government and data-driven public-sector decision-making.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/innovaap-ucr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Innovaap-UCR