Government policies should favour assistance to, and growth of SMMEs, in the ICT industry, as well as their entry into e-business, to stimulate economic growth and job creation as an element of a strategy for poverty reduction through wealth creation.

Retos Públicos (Public Challenges), the Mexican Government’s platform for challenge and prize competitions, opens public contracting of SMMEs in the ICT industry for the first time. Since 2014, 11 Federal Ministries have engaged with over 1500 participants to create 75 prototypes for 15 open source solutions for citizen engagement, efficiency, transparency and participation at less than 10% of the normal cost (see retos.gob.mx). Winners have the opportunity provide technology for a market that was closed to them and are incentivized to formalize their operations to become well-established, high-impact companies. In its new phase, Retos is expanding in 2016 to become “Reto México” the largest innovation model for both the public and private sector.

http://retos.datos.gob.mx/

• Mexico