UWI Cave Hill’s Innovate drives cutting-edge solutions to market

As the University of the West Indies at Cave Hill continues to celebrate a game-changing development of gas from seaweed and waste and its first-ever patent, its principal is touting the university’s position as a regional leader in innovation and entrepreneurship, with its Innovate 2024 competition showcasing groundbreaking research aimed at tackling pressing Caribbean issues.

In his address to the Innovate! 2024 awards ceremony on Thursday, Professor Clive Landis, underscored UWI’s commitment to transforming academic research into practical, commercially viable products, emphasising the institution’s role in fostering regional development.

The competition, now in its second year, offers university staff an opportunity to pitch ideas with the potential to become marketable solutions.

“Innovation is not limited to our academic staff,” the university principal said. “What you see here are ideas that have gone some way towards becoming commercial products.”

Professor Landis highlighted the inclusive nature of the competition, noting that staff from all levels of the university participated.

“This is a competition for all staff, and it’s about taking ideas, no matter where they come from, and pushing them towards something tangible,” he said.

While UWI has a history of encouraging entrepreneurship through its Student Entrepreneurial Empowerment Development (SEED) programme, Innovate is unique in focusing on staff, giving them the chance to contribute to the financial sustainability of the institution. “We want to scale up these ideas and bring them to market, ultimately for export,” Professor Landis added. “That’s what innovation is all about.”

Among the standout projects presented, the renewable energy initiative demonstrated this week drew considerable attention. Dr Legena Henry, a lecturer in renewable energy, has pioneered a method to convert Sargassum, the invasive seaweed plaguing Caribbean shores, into biogas to fuel vehicles. This marks the first time such a technology has been demonstrated globally.

The project is seen as one of UWI’s most promising areas of research. It accelerates the biogas production process by combining Sargassum with wastewater from the rum industry and Black Belly Sheep manure.

Another notable project came from Dr Srinivasa Popuri, a senior lecturer in analytical chemistry, who has been extracting alginate from Sargassum. Alginate, a substance used in food and pharmaceuticals, has attracted investor interest, and Professor Landis expressed optimism about the potential for a pilot manufacturing plant to be established soon.

Adding to the innovations was Dr Bidyut Mohapatra’s discovery of a microorganism found in decomposing Sargassum, named Chrysobacterium Barbadensis. This bacterium, Professor Landis explained, has the potential to accelerate the breakdown of Sargassum and could be commercially sold to help manage the seaweed issue across the region. The project also marked a significant milestone for UWI, as the institution filed its first-ever patent for the discovery.

The Cave Hill principal and UWI Pro Vice-Chancellor also highlighted the university’s robust academic reputation which underpins its innovative drive. According to him, UWI ranks third in the entire Latin America and Caribbean region in research citations, behind only the University of São Paulo and the Catholic University of Chile. This strong academic foundation supports what Landis called UWI’s “Revenue Revolution” — the university’s strategy to turn research into economic value.

Professor Landis stressed the importance of private sector involvement to scale up ideas and bring them to market.

“We need investment, and we’ve crossed the so-called ‘valley of death’ from idea to prototype in a number of cases,” he said.

The university has now entered a phase where the focus is on turning ideas into valuable products that benefit society and the institution. This involves partnerships with private companies to commercialise research and generate revenue for the university.

“This competition is critical because it takes ideas, sifts them for merit, and supports their development through business plans and mentorship,” Professor Landis said.

Ryan Gilkes

Experienced Journalist with a demonstrated history of working in the media production industry. Skilled in Nonprofit Organizations, Breaking News, Event Management, Radio, Digital Media and Media Relations. Strong business development professional.