VICE-CHANCELLOR’S REPORT TO COUNCIL 2022—2023
ST. AUGUSTINE CAMPUS REPORT
On Monday, June 29, 2023, the Campus signed a ground-breaking agreement with the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT) to establish a Conformance and Interoperability Regulatory Sandbox. The agreement seals a partnership with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (DECE) and TATT, spearheaded by the DECE, to work towards testing new telecommunications products and associated services in a controlled environment with specific conditions. They also hope to promote innovation and expedite the development and production of custom radio frequency-enabled devices, to address local and regional needs.
Agreements This year, the St. Augustine Campus signed several Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding to formalise the partnerships between The UWI and a number of public and private organisations. These include the following: • On November 15, 2022, Professor Antoine was a signatory to a Grant Administration Agreement with the Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF) Development Bank of Latin America. Also signing was Mr. Sergio Diaz-Granados, Executive President of CAF Development Bank. Funding of US$10 million was provided by the Adaptation Fund for the Trinidad and Tobago: Multisectoral Adaptation Measures to Climate Change in the South Oropouche River Basin for Flood Relief project, which was conceptualised at the Conference of Parties (COP25) in 2019. • The St. Augustine Campus and the Inter-American Development Bank signed a Technical Cooperation Agreement on December 12, 2022. The Agreement, in the amount of US$996,000, will implement a Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system for mangrove ecosystems that will provide a science-based data platform on the sequestration and release of blue carbon in participant country sites of the United Kingdom Blue Carbon Fund. • The St. Augustine Campus, through the FFA and the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NCA&T) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on November 10, 2022. The MoU allows both parties to collaborate and cooperate in providing research for enhancing the quality of NCA&T students’ knowledge of agriculture in an international setting.
• An Agreement was signed between the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and The UWI on December 1, 2022. This Agreement covered the conduct of a competition on Appropriate Technologies (AT) that was organised by WIPO in close collaboration with the Trinidad and Tobago Intellectual Property Office (TTIPO) from December 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023. • On January 19, 2023 the Campus signed a historic MoU with the Ministry of National Security to collaborate on national disaster resilience. The MoU provides a platform for collaborative efforts in training, research, publications, sponsorships, and internships, thereby fostering growth and development. • Following the formation of the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency (ALCE) in 2021, the Department of Geomatics Engineering and Land Management signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on March 24, 2023 with the Mexican Foreign Ministry and the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, to cooperate on a geospatial observation centre. The Centre’s main aim will entail fortifying the Caribbean against the impacts of climate change. Satellite imagery from the European Space Agency and US satellites will be fed into the Centre’s servers to monitor land use and land cover changes, mangroves, flooding, quarrying, sargassum seaweed mats, and other large-scale environmental phenomena to assess any potential threats and opportunities. The Centre is in the process of having equipment and tools installed to begin operationalisation.
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Procurement Workshop
The Procurement Act was proclaimed in Trinidad and Tobago in April 2023, causing quite a stir, as both government-funded agencies and suppliers sought to comply with the legislation. In response, the Faculty of Law held a Procurement Workshop in June. Presenters included both legal and procurement professionals who explained the legislation in a practical way. The workshop attracted 68 participants. AGILITY As the Campus joined the wider University in the Revenue Revolution, entrepreneurship, innovation, and market responsiveness drove many new developments in 2022/2023. These included pioneering forays into the world of fine chocolates, innovative global learning models, and measures to improve customer service.
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