UWI – Open for Business
UWI – Open for Business!
T
he University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus (UWI), has developed a strong reputation for its academic research, innovation, and impact on Caribbean society across several different areas. It boasts a pool of accomplished graduates that includes heads of state, Nobel laureates, Rhodes scholars, CEOs, leaders of NGOs and many others playing decisive roles in the development of the Caribbean; and it continues to develop and expand, with enrolment at the St. Augustine Campus currently at 19,000 students, of which approximately 6,000 are graduate students (including Masters, MPhils and PhDs). In recent years, the institution has been on a major thrust to internationalise itself in order to sustain its growth and compete more aggressively at the global level. It has continued to engage many of the world’s leading universities for a wide range of collaborations and, most recently, it has established administrative mechanisms to collaborate more closely with the local, regional and international private sectors. By combining its historical accomplishments, regional reach, world-class facilities, its pool of highly specialised expertise and its many outstanding students, UWI presents a desirable partner for collaboration to make a high-value, sustained impact across the Caribbean and, more specifically, in Trinidad and Tobago. It continues to work very closely with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, various state enterprises, and stakeholders from across all sectors in
86 • Business Trinidad & Tobago
Professor Clement K. Sankat
Mr. Sharan C. Singh
Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus
Director Office of Institutional Advancement & Internationalisation The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus
order to make strategic interventions in matters of national development. Through its Office of Institutional Advancement and Internationalisation and its Office of Research Development and Knowledge Transfer, UWI, St. Augustine seeks partnerships with the private and public sectors for revenue generation in the following categories: 1. Research and Innovation – collaboratively developing and commercialising unique intellectual property. 2. Capital Development Projects – including commercial infrastructure at its Main Campus in St Augustine and its two new Campuses in Penal/Debe and Orange Grove, Trincity; as well as housing for students, staff and the extended UWI community. 3. Technical Services – drawing on UWI’s unique pool of technical expertise and resources across a wide range of disciplines to collaborate with public and private organisations. 4. Provision of commercial student services. Strategically positioned to establish strong partnerships with the private sector, while engaging with and leveraging the collective expertise of various researchers and subject matter experts, the Office of Research Development and Knowledge Transfer is able to guide, identify and match the needs of interested private sector partners with the results of UWI’s research. UWI’s Research Information Management System (RIMS) supports this function. Current research output for potential commercialisation include: · new varieties of plants · a range of high performance, quality tested lubricants and · software applications
Since its inception in 1948, the University of the West Indies has evolved from a fledgling college in Jamaica with 33 students to a full-fledged, regional University with over 48,000 students, and a presence in 17 Englishspeaking Caribbean countries. Today, UWI is the largest and longest-standing Higher Education Institute (HEI) in the Commonwealth Caribbean, with four campuses in Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Open Campus. It has faculty and students from more than 40 countries and collaborative links with 160 universities globally. UWI offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food & Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology, and Social Sciences. A new era has dawned for the St Augustine campus of UWI, where it is strategically expanding its physical and technical reach via collaborations and partnerships, and it is keen to engage interested parties in identifying opportunities for engagement. In the words of Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal, Professor Clement Sankat: “The University of the West Indies is now Open for Business!”