Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to be here with you at the Mona Campus of the UWI on an occasion that reflects the continuous march of our collective Caribbean people to secure our rightful place in this global village.
I have no doubt that everyone here today understands that we cannot secure a permanent place in the global village without scientific and technological advancements, and, indeed, an unprecedented level of technological progress.
As the Prime Minister responsible for Science and Technology in the Caribbean Community, occasions such as this Research Day are most heartening to me.
I wish to place on record my gratitude to Professor Hall and all those at the Faculty and University who have worked so purposefully in making this event the success that it has become.
Ladies and gentlemen, the speed with which Scientific and Technological Innovation is taking place is tremendous. No sector has been left untouched.
Agriculture and agro-processing, medicine, energy, manufacturing, the entertainment industry, communications, and information management, to name a few, have all benefited from rapid technological developments.
The ability to create, distribute and exploit knowledge has become a major source of competitive advantage and wealth creation. This has resulted in improvements to the quality of life of our people.
However, I hasten to add, that we have just begun. There are still many, many people throughout the Caribbean who have yet to fully benefit from these developments, let alone understand them.
Global changes demonstrate that Science, Technology and Innovation have become central to improving the economic performance of our Countries and the social well being of our peoples. It appears evident to me that if we, the people of the Caribbean, wish to take full advantage of this transformation, we need to ensure that the appropriate polices and infrastructures are in place. Moreover, we must ensure that our citizens are able to utilise such policies and infrastructures for their personal and professional advancement.
I see a greater role for UWI, our national colleges and other tertiary institutions in the Region to take more responsibility in educating our people in this regard. Naturally, this must be done in collaboration with Governments, the private sector and our other social partners.
However, this is a marvelous opportunity for UWI to take the lead in creating a ‘university without walls’ to ensure a deeper understanding of the impact Science and Technology has on our daily lives.
As Caribbean countries the obvious limits on public spending, matched by increased competition and the process of globalisation, have forced us to sharpen our policies towards Science and Technology. Increasingly though, Governments must become the facilitator, enabling business and consumers to adapt to the demands and opportunities of the new global economy.
In the Caribbean, it has often been said that the main competitive weakness in our economies is the relative lack of ability by our countries to innovate and adapt to technological change. Thus, despite the remarkable economic achievements in many countries of our Region, enormous challenges remain for governments in the development of Science, Technology and the fostering of Innovation.
Indeed, a close evaluation of these contemporary technological advances indicate that it is still the case that the manifest majority has taken place in Developed Countries, a fact highlighted in the UNDP Human Development Report of 2001.
An understanding of the capacity of countries within the Caribbean Region to respond to, and participate in Science and Technology activities occurring globally, is important.
However, we must stop making excuses and move beyond those historical socio-economic evaluations rooted in the past, and enthusiastically beat a path towards embracing our future.
Historically the Region’s economic stability relied heavily on agricultural production and the advantages from preferential trading arrangements linked to a colonial past. Today a heavy reliance on services, including tourism services, has ushered in the need to generate more Science, Technology and Innovation in our communities.
We are responding, sisters and brothers, but I suggest we need to respond with greater vigor, deeper vision and an unwavering faith in our own innate abilities to explore and to create. While the economic polices and strategic developmental plans within the Region have focused on expanding tourism and other service sectors, Science and Technology is yet to become one of the primary considerations in formulating socio-economic development strategies.
Some progress has occurred in recent years; however regional Science and Technology policies are not fully articulated and do not yet meet all of the challenges posed by globalisation.
This does not mean, however, that our Region has failed to undertake some notable achievements in technological innovation. I recall, quite clearly, the skepticism, generally, towards Science and Technology in 1995.
Many people failed to make the connection between Science and Technology and the numerous innovations achieved over the years by our countries in the agricultural, food and energy sectors, some of which have been patented. What is new, however, is the way in which the intellectual property bestowed on products of these innovations is managed as an asset. Today, more so than at any other period in our history, our citizens can be prolific in developing innovative concepts. These concepts can be taken to the point where a tangible patentable product, worthy of having intellectual property rights, can be created.
Furthermore, the basic elements required to start the process already exist, even if to varying degrees among CARICOM Member States. In many instances, we have the human resource capabilities required. What we need to do, much more aggressively, is tap into these capabilities by forming strategic linkages with regional and international experts.
The framework for encouraging innovations is being developed within the Region with the establishment of Innovation Centers and programmes in several countries. I note as well, such initiatives as naming a month National Science and Technology Month, as is the case here in Jamaica.
Moreover, the required infrastructure, though limited, is present at regional universities. Here again, joint research programmes with international counterparts can overcome a significant extent of the limitations that still exist.
In a related development, I see great potential in the World Bank project that seeks to have our Region established as a Centre of Excellence for Connectivity. A Caribbean Knowledge and Learning Network will connect our tertiary institutions through on line technologies.
In relation to the private sector, strengthening the links between science and industry can be beneficial to both universities and other research institutions on the one hand, and firms, on the other. Universities must seek industry contacts to ensure appropriate job prospects for graduates, as well as maintain relevant curricula and obtain much needed financial and other forms of support for research projects.
UWI and other tertiary institutions must also seek strategic alliances with the private sector in order to consolidate their position in innovation networks and to establish their place in the global market place for knowledge.
The main benefit for firms is often improved access to well-trained university graduates, as well as access to new scientific knowledge, networks and problem-solving capabilities.
There are several ways by which research institutions and businesses can interact, including public and private research networks, research contracts, licensing and joint publications, as well as the flow of students from universities to industry.
Some channels are of specific interest, as they pose new challenges for policymakers. Spin-off firms from universities and other research institutions, for instance, are a vital component of innovation networks and play an increasingly valuable role in our Countries.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is clear that there is an urgent need for us to modify our approach, within the Region, to Science and Technology. The Caribbean Community is at the point where international forces and the need to negotiate and form various bilateral and multilateral trade agreements are challenging policymakers to re-evaluate our strategies for economic policy and social development.
The Caribbean seriously needs to introduce a series of measures to strengthen competition, facilitate networking and co-operation, deepen links among science, industry and Governments, as well as increase returns to investment in Research and Development.
The Research and Development to which I refer covers three activities: basic research, applied research, and experimental development. Basic research is experimental or theoretical work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge of the underlying foundation of phenomena and observable facts, without any particular application or use in view.
Experience suggests that Caribbean Governments cannot create these networks from scratch. However, one of the actions that we can take is aimed at seeking to reduce reservations among private sector representatives about inter-firm co-operation. We recognize that this will take time. However, we must begin to create an open environment, founded on trust and understanding among our private sector firms. Indeed, my friends, this can be considered part of the Regional Integration process.
The success of networks also depends on other resources, such as access to key technologies or to important foreign markets. As Caribbean Governments, we must do more to help address such problems. We must all facilitate the mobility of scientists between Science and Industry.
Sisters and brothers, there is also a challenge for us all to be conscious of the international debates on Science and Technology, as well as the interaction between Science and Technology trade issues. The Caribbean Community needs to ensure that our interests are reflected in the cultural, economic and social framework within which the information technology debate is occurring. We need to ensure that we influence trade agreements that have a strong Science and Technology basis.
Ladies and gentlemen, in summary, there is no denying that promoting Scientific and Technological Innovation in the every day life of our citizens and, in particular, innovation in the private sector, is a major challenge for the Caribbean.
Therefore, a new policy paradigm focused on innovation should be developed, in which Governments assume the role of supporting partners with the Private Sector in developing and deploying new technologies. In this regard, the following general innovation policies should be considered:
1. A legal basis for cooperation between industry and Government agencies, including license agreements, property rights, and financing, in order to make it easier and faster for an innovative culture to emerge and be sustained.
2. Facilitate innovation in private firms, with an emphasis on Small and Medium Sized Enterprises, and the promotion of linkages among national Research and Development institutions, private firms and Governments.
3. Strengthening innovative entrepreneurship, which Governments could address through education and indirect incentives. This could include incentive structures for researchers, and policies that increase the mobility of personnel within the science system and between science and industry.
Sisters and brothers, the Region has already taken steps towards making its innovation system more effective. However, there remains considerable scope for further progress and for learning about successful approaches to scientific advances, innovation and economic growth in the Caribbean. It is for these reasons that I am delighted to be here and to be part of this historic occasion. I thank you.
References:
Alleyne E. (2001). National Council for Science and Technology: A New Perspective. Technical Report for Barbados.
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the Commission on Science and Technology for Development. (1999). Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Review: Jamaica. UNCTAD/ITE/IIP/6.
United Nations Development Programme. (2001). Human Development Report 2001: Making new Technologies Work for Human Development.
Wendy Hollingsworth. A Caribbean perspective on science, technology and trade, 2002
Office of the Prime Minister
St. George’s, Grenada
29 January 2004
