“Research and Innovation Are Not Luxuries” The UWI Celebrates 30 Years of Graduate Studies with Research Showcase and Homegrown Innovations

The UWI Regional Headquarters, Jamaica, W.I. | Wednesday, November 04, 2026— “For small island developing states in the Caribbean, research and innovation are not luxuries. They are essential investments in national survival, resilience and sustainable development.”

Those were the words of Professor Aldrie Henry-Lee, Pro Vice-Chancellor of The University of the West Indies (The UWI) School for Graduate Studies and Research (SGSR), as she officially opened the Research and Innovation Display at The UWI St. Augustine Campus. Launched on October 21 at the Alma Jordan Library, where it remains on view until November 25, 2026, the exhibition is one of a series of research displays mounted across The UWI’s campuses during the 2026 graduation season to mark the School’s 30th anniversary. Following showings at the Five Islands and Cave Hill campuses, the series continues at the Mona Library in Jamaica from November 5.

Established in August 1996 on the recommendation of the 1994 UWI Chancellor’s Commission on Governance to strengthen advanced education and research throughout the Caribbean, the SGSR is marking the milestone under the theme “30 Years of Excellence in Graduate Studies and Research: Advancing Caribbean and Global Development.”

The display coincides with The UWI’s graduation season, during which the St. Augustine Campus conferred 821 postgraduate degrees. “Behind every number is a student whose life has been transformed through education, a family whose aspirations have been fulfilled, and a community that stands to benefit from new knowledge and enhanced skills,” said Professor Henry-Lee.

Addressing the opening ceremony as she jointly opened the display, Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal, underscored the central role of research in national and regional development. “Research matters because it serves our society,” she said. “It impacts people’s lives. It informs policies, strengthens professional practice, supports innovation and helps communities adapt to changing circumstances.”

As part of the programme, Professor Antoine also launched the Campus’s new UWI Made video, which highlights products and technologies developed through research at St. Augustine and brought to market. Featured innovations include premium chocolates from UWI Fine Cocoa Products Limited, made with Trinidad and Tobago’s renowned cocoa and expertise from the Cocoa Research Centre; the Seal It line of waterproofing sealants and protective coatings from the Department of Chemistry; a UWI-developed pesticide; and an artificial intelligence-enabled drone designed in the Faculty of Engineering. Several have been showcased at international trade exhibitions from the US to India.

The Principal also pointed to recent advances in collaboration with government and industry, including the launch of the One Health Molecular Epidemiology and Genomics Centre and ongoing efforts to formalise an Artificial Intelligence Centre.

Curated jointly by the SGSR and the St. Augustine Campus Libraries, the display is the result of a collaborative effort led by Professor Duraisamy Saravanakumar, Campus Director of Graduate Studies and Research, and Dr Karen Eccles, Campus Librarian, both of whom addressed the launch ceremony. Professor Saravanakumar described the anniversary as an opportunity to celebrate achievements, assess progress and chart the way forward. He also pointed to the remarkable growth of postgraduate education at St. Augustine, from just 22 registered postgraduate students between 1951 and 1964 to the largest hub of graduate education in The UWI system, accounting for 41 per cent of the University’s graduate student population today.

Dr Eccles outlined the work of library teams across the Alma Jordan, Norman Girvan and Medical Sciences libraries, who drew on three decades of graduand booklets, faculty records and scholarly publications to assemble the exhibition. Organised chronologically across three eras (1996–2005, 2006–2016 and 2017 to the present), the display brings together theses, monographs and journal articles from the Library’s collections alongside innovations, creative works and research outputs from faculties, centres and units across the Campus.

The 30th anniversary celebrations continue across The UWI’s five campuses throughout November and December. Activities include a Vice-Chancellor’s Forum examining the future of graduate studies and research, the Fourth Annual One-UWI Postgraduate Students’ Research Conference, which will feature more than 80 student research submissions, and the One-UWI Postgraduate Students’ Give Back Day, a region-wide community service initiative.

The commemorative programme will culminate on December 7 with the 30th Anniversary Fundraising Gala at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, Jamaica. Proceeds will support postgraduate scholarships across The UWI, while the event will also honour 30 outstanding student researchers from across the University’s five-campus system. Tickets can be purchased online.

Those unable to attend can contribute to the postgraduate scholarship fund. Every donation, Professor Henry-Lee emphasised, is an investment in the next generation of researchers, innovators and leaders who will help shape the future of the Caribbean and beyond.