WAITRO-CARIRI Forum Held in Trinidad
“Increasing Competitiveness Through Innovation and Public-Private Partnerships” was the title of a two-day Networking Forum, which took place in Port of Spain on March 19 and 20, 2014.
CARIRI organised this event in collaboration with WAITRO (the World Association of Industrial and Technological Research Organizations). It was held at the Hilton
Trinidad and Conference Centre.
Speakers at the formal opening were Minister of Planning and Sustainable Development, Senator Dr The Hon. Bhoendradatt Tewarie; WAITRO President, Prof RK Khandal; CARIRI Chairman, Mr Hayden Ferreira and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Liaquat Ali Shah.
The Plenary Session themes were: Fostering an Enabling Environment for Innovation and Public-Private Partnerships; Models of Innovation and Public-Private Partnerships; Policy Framework for Innovation and Public-Private Partnership; and Caribbean Initiatives in Innovation and Public-Private Partnerships”. Remarkable presentations were delivered by organisation representatives from Argentina; Barbados; Chile; China; Denmark; India; Jamaica; Kenya; Malaysia; Mexico; Uganda and Trinidad and Tobago.
Preceding this event, WAITRO held its 72nd Board meeting on March 18, followed by the 13th Regional Focal Point Meeting.
CARIRI is a founding member of WAITRO, which is currently headquartered in Malaysia.
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Cross section of audience at CCIC Launch The Caribbean Climate Innovation Center (CCIC) was launched on Monday 27 January 2014, at CARIRI’s Centre for Enterprise Development in Freeport, Trinidad. It was officially inaugurated by Jamaica’s Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, the Hon. Phillip Paulwell and Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Planning and Sustainable Development, Senator Dr the Hon. Bhoendradatt Tewarie. Other speakers/presenters included His Excellency Gérard Latulippe, High Commissioner for Canada to Trinidad and Tobago; Ms Valerie D’Costa, Program Manager of World Bank infoDev; Ms Sophie Sirtaine, Country Director for the Caribbean, World Bank; Mr Jonathan Cooney, Program Coordinator, Climate Technology Program; Mr Hawthorne Watson, Executive Director of the Scientific Research Council, Jamaica; CARIRI Chief Executive Officer, Liaquat Ali Shah and CCIC Management Committee Members, Mr Ronald Dubrisingh and Ms Mona Whyte. The Event was chaired by Dr Ulric Trotz, Chair of the CCIC Management Committee. The CCIC will have facilities in Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago, as well as satellite hubs in other Caribbean islands. It will be part of a global network of eight Climate Innovation Centers located, among others, in Kenya, India, Vietnam and Ethiopia. Please click here to view Official Press Release |
The Ministry of Planning and Sustainable Developmentthrough its established Council for Competitiveness and Innovation (CCI) developed the “Idea 2 Innovation” (i2i) programme which gives an opportunity to innovators and inventors to submit proposals for innovative projects and creative initiatives for which the CCI would provide funding.