SPECIAL REPORT Building an Entrepreneurial University
CAVE HILL’S OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION The UWI Cave Hill Office of Research and Innovation is expanding and co-ordinating research, innovation, and commercialisation on the campus; collaborating with internal, external, public, and private institutes. Among its activities, the Office is arranging grant writing workshops for staff and students plus funding agencies’ presentations, the first two of which will be delivered by the Inter- American Development Bank and the Caribbean Development Bank. MONA OFFICE FOR RESEARCH AND INNOVATION (MORI) Recognising the need to prioritise the development of research and innovation, MORI has been restructured and strengthened to serve the needs of the campus. First established in 2012, MORI has sought to create an enabling environment that supports, fosters and increases the quality, quantity, and output of academic staff. While this is done primarily through tailored comprehensive research collaboration, support, and leadership and by working with facilities and research entities to improve output, the Office also promotes interdisciplinary approaches. Its efforts are focused on two main streams: training in the identification of funding opportunities, grant and proposal writing and submissions as well as providing support for strategic research and academic-industry partnerships by increasing research capacity through collaboration and workshops. The Office also provides other related support by working collaboratively with campus services such as IT and the library to build capacity in ethics, intellectual property policy conservation, and patent applications. MONA’S ENTREPRENEURIAL AND COMMERCIALISATION CENTRE (MECC) An Incubator and Investment Readiness Training Workshop has enabled staff at Mona to develop project plans for implementation by their respective faculties/units. MECC hosted Boot Camps for 14 start-up companies, eight of which were selected to participate in a 12-week long Entrepreneurship Development Programme, funded by the Development Bank of Jamaica.
OPEN CAMPUS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT UNIT
The Business Development Unit works closely with the Open Campus’ leadership team and divisional heads to drive the corporate strategy of the campus to develop its core business and increase revenue from diversified income sources. Under a Memorandum of Understanding between the Consular Corps of Jamaica and The University of the West Indies, the Open Campus is currently hosting a six-part webinar series on International Trade and Investment in Global Markets. The webinars are aimed at anyone interested in international trade—manufacturers, brokers, traders, exporters, MSMEs as well as the University fraternity. Europe under explored; the prospects for trade and investment with Jamaica in the 21 st Century kicked off the series in November 2019; the next, in March 2020, focused on Emerging International Cannabis Trade: Opportunities and Legal Challenges . In 2018, St. Augustine Campus laid the foundation piece in the creation of its entrepreneurial eco- system with the establishment of StACIE. Two years later, that transformative eco-system was advanced by two further steps, the establishment of The Entrepreneurship Unit and The UWI Ventures Ltd. StACIE nurtures ideas at the early stage and navigates them all the way to market entry. Put simply, its mandate is to monetise campus research by partnering with industry and governments—in fact anyone willing to join in their mission. Support and some handholding are expected and necessary. The Entrepreneurship Unit provides strategic input, mentorship, coaching, and training. The Unit works closely with the Office of the Campus Principal and played a significant role in establishing The UWI Ventures Charter. ST. AUGUSTINE CENTRE FOR INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP (STACIE)
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