Ministry
Ministry of Science, Innovation, Technology and Telecommunications
↗ Official websiteExecutive summary
Formally leads national AI policy. Published ENIA 2024-2027 (first such policy in Central America) and operates the LINC network with 24 operational labs (target 26) across the 7 provinces, with focus outside the Greater Metropolitan Area. ENIA envisions a National AI Center of Excellence that is not yet operational and has no allocated public budget.
AI projects (3)
LINC — Community Innovation Labs
LiveNetwork of Community Innovation Labs (LINC) operated by MICITT in alliance with INDER, with 24 operational labs and 2 additional labs being commissioned to reach the target of 26. Distributed across the seven provinces with emphasis on communities outside the Greater Metropolitan Area (Puntarenas, Guanacaste, Alajuela, Heredia, among others). Equipment includes 3D printers, laser cutters, robotics kits, drones, and tools for programming, cybersecurity, and data science. The labs offer hands-on training for youth and entrepreneurs in digital technologies. The initiative is led by Minister Paula Bogantes Zamora.
Live since: 2025
CONECTA — National interoperability based on X-Road
LiveProject CRI/003 – Conecta to adopt the country interoperability model based on X-Road, the secure data-exchange platform developed and maintained by Estonia, Finland and Iceland. Coordinated by the National Digital Government Agency (ANGD), funded by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg through the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency (LuxDev), with technical assistance from Estonia's e-Governance Academy. Initial scope covers roughly 30 public institutions taking part in the diagnostic workshop and subsequent onboarding to the platform.
Live since: 2025
AgroBoost: AI and sensors for precision coffee farming
LivePrecision coffee-farming program combining drones, field sensors (humidity, temperature, pH, soil electrical conductivity) and artificial intelligence to map crops and optimize decision-making for 86 coffee growers in the Los Santos region (Dota canton). The captured data feeds AI models that produce per-farm agronomic recommendations and inform irrigation, fertilization and pest management decisions. AgroBoost is the scale-up of the Project One pilot originally developed by Coopedota.
Live since: 2025
Adoption lessons
MICITT delivers training results with territorial coverage and gender equity (70% female participation). But the regulatory and coordinating role envisioned in ENIA remains vacant. It is the institution with the largest gap between what its strategy promises and what its operations deliver.