Days: Monday, June 22nd Tuesday, June 23rd Wednesday, June 24th Thursday, June 25th Friday, June 26th
View this program: with abstractssession overviewtalk overview
Presenter: Professor Winston Moore - UWI
Moderator: Tracey Broome - UWI
PDW. Research impact through applied organizational and behavioral science
Presenter: Professor Dwayne Devonish - UWI
Moderator: Alejandra Rosales Soto
Hackathon Modeling Tomorrow: Innovation for Sustainable Development. Introduction and Q&A
Presenter: Dr. Damian Cohall - UWI
Hackathon teamwork
Hackathon Mentors:
Tatevik Poghosyan Track 1
Daniel Hernaiz Diez de Medina Track 1
Sandra Schillo Track 1
Damian Cohall Track 2
Jose Miguel Natera Track 2
Jimena Cuevas Portilla Track 2
View this program: with abstractssession overviewtalk overview
Panel: Shaping the Future: Innovation Policy and Sustainable Transitions
This panel brings together senior policymakers, regional innovation leaders, and development practitioners to discuss how innovation policy can support sustainable transitions, competitiveness, digital transformation, and resilient economic growth in the Caribbean. The discussion will explore practical experiences in entrepreneurship, technology adoption, industrial development, fintech, and regional innovation ecosystems.
Participants will gain insights into how Caribbean countries and regional institutions are addressing challenges related to productivity, climate resilience, digitalization, and inclusive growth, while identifying opportunities for stronger regional collaboration and innovation-driven development.
Panelists:
Kayla Grant - Executive Director, Compete Caribbean / IDB
Denise Ferguson - Executive Manager: Entrepreneurship, Development & Innovation, CARIRI
Rafiq Ilahi - Permanent Secretary & Director of Technological Innovation Ministry of Economic Affairs, Entrepreneurship and Technological Innovation, Suriname
Jonathan Reid - Minister of Innovation, Industry, Science and Technology, Barbados
Moderator: Tatevik Poghosyan Senior Economist, Government of Canada, NACLICS Board Member
PDW. Storytelling and dissemination of research
Presenter: Jason Turner – Saint Mary’s University
Moderator: Claudia De Fuentes
Hackathon Modeling Tomorrow: Innovation for Sustainable Development. Data analysis
Presenters
Dr. Claudia De Fuentes - SMU
Dr. Joniada Milla - SMU
Dr Dennis Novy (UK FCDO chief economist)
Dr. Tatevik Poghosyan - Government of Canada/SMU
Hackathon teamwork
Hackathon Mentors:
Tatevik Poghosyan Track 1
Daniel Hernaiz Diez de Medina Track 1
Sandra Schillo Track 1
Damian Cohall Track 2
Jose Miguel Natera Track 2
Jimena Cuevas Portilla Track 2
Newton Science Hub
Internationl Food Science Center
View this program: with abstractssession overviewtalk overview
Panel. Industry–policy dialogues on innovation, competitiveness, and sustainable business models in priority sectors
Panelists:
Senator Dr. Kenneth Connell - UWI (Healthcare industry)
Rommel Edwards - Barbados Port Inc.
Senator Ryan Forde - Tourism industry
Stratos D. Kamenis – OECD
Mark Neighbors – Regional China Officer – Caribbean & Canada, U.S. Embassy to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean, and the OECS
Carlo Pietrobelli – Professor Roma Tre | UNESCO Chair at UNU-MERIT
Moderator: Dhanaraj Thakur
Discussants:
Thomas Woodson
Daniela Sanchez
Discussants:
Claudia De Fuentes
Antonio Alleyne
Discussants:
Dhanaraj Thakur
Carlo Pietrobelli
Discussants:
Joniada Milla
Discussants:
Alejandra Rosales
Andrew Cummings
Discussants:
Tracey Broome
Jeffrey Orozco
Discussants:
Winston Moore
Jose Miguel Natera
Presentation Globelics
Jose Miguel Natera -UNAM
Andrew Cummins - Globelics
Thomas Woodson - SBU
Claudia De Fuentes - SMU
Hackathon teamwork
Hackathon Mentors:
Tatevik Poghosyan Track 1
Daniel Hernaiz Diez de Medina Track 1
Sandra Schillo Track 1
Damian Cohall Track 2
Jose Miguel Natera Track 2
Jimena Cuevas Portilla Track 2
Conference opening keynote. Innovation and sustainable development for the blue economy
Keynote: Daniela Garcia - CINPE
Moderator: Claudia De Fuentes
This keynote explores the role of innovation in advancing sustainable development within the Blue Economy, with a particular focus on Central America and the Caribbean, drawing on theoretical insights and empirical examples, especially from Costa Rica. It examines how innovation systems can be reoriented toward regenerative pathways by integrating technological, social, and institutional dimensions. The presentation highlights the importance of directionality, governance, and coordination in addressing trade-offs between economic development, environmental sustainability, and social well-being. The session concludes by outlining key challenges and policy implications for fostering inclusive and resilient blue economies.
View this program: with abstractssession overviewtalk overview
Panel. Innovation for sustainability in the agriculture and ocean sectors
Panelists:
Kirk Douglas – UWI
Keith Nurse - Sir Arthur Lewis Community College
Jeffrey Orozco - CINPE
Alejandra Rosales Soto - CETYS
Thomas Woodson - Stony Brook University
Moderator: Susan Cozzens
Special session. Generating Decent Work and Economic Growth: ESO-Driven
| 11:00 | Special session. Generating Decent Work and Economic Growth: ESO-Driven Pathways from Innovation to Enterprise and Jobs (abstract) |
| 11:00 | Building Inclusive Innovation Systems for Inclusive Development: the case of Small-Scale Rural Agroindustry in El Salvador (abstract) |
| 11:30 | Climate Investment Strategy (2026–2040) (abstract) |
| 12:00 | Contributions of science, technology, and innovation (STI) to solving the environmental impacts of pineapple farming in Costa Rica (abstract) |
| 13:45 | Endogenous Innovation and Digital Inclusion: A Global African Perspective (abstract) |
| 14:15 | The impact of innovation subsidies in Atlantic Canada (abstract) |
| 14:45 | Navigating Science Across the Caribbean Sea: Unveiling Comparative Advantages in the Scientific Production of CARICOM Nations (1996-2020) (abstract) |
| 13:45 | Revisiting National Systems of Innovation in the UN SDGs Era (2016–2026) (abstract) |
| 14:08 | Caribbean Innovation Hubs as Catalysts for Emerging National Innovation Systems in Small Economies (abstract) |
| 14:31 | Who Survives to Innovate? Institutional Logics and the Selection Dynamics of Inclusive Development (abstract) |
| 14:54 | Exploring the Barriers and Facilitators to Implementing Mental Health Initiatives in SMEs: A Scoping Review (abstract) |
| 13:45 | Dual Transformation Pathways in a Border-Region Economy: Evidence from Firm-Level Maturity in Tijuana, Mexico. (abstract) |
| 14:15 | Culturally Grounded Strategic Design for Inclusion, Innovation Development and Transformative Change and in Caribbean Innovation Systems (abstract) |
| 14:45 | Progress, Challenges, and Strategic Pathways for Waste to Energy in Jamaica (abstract) |
Beach visit and reception.
Depart from GRLT to go on a bus tour.
The reception will take place at the CSHB
View this program: with abstractssession overviewtalk overview
Panel. University-Industry Collaboration for Innovation and Development (Intellectual Property)
Panelists:
Susan Cozzens - Georgia Tech
Victor Gomez - INTEC
José Miguel Natera - UNAM
Erica Smith – Business Barbados
Dhanaraj Thakur - George Washington University
Moderator: Thomas Woodson
Hackathon presentations
Evaluation panel:
Terry Brathwaite - UKFCDO
Sir Trevor Carmichael, KA, LVO, KC - Chairman, Chancery Chambers, Chancery House
Allyson Francis - Caribbean Development Bank
Chris Morris – University of Exeter - Advisor, Future Barbados
Mark Neighbors – U.S. Embassy to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean, and the OECS
Michael Walton - Cruxity Inc.