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Research centres on the cards for Cave Hill campus
2/3/2009
By Alicia Dells
THE University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus is hoping to elevate the dynamics of the campus with the establishment of several top class research centres.
In fact, Principal and Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles highlighted that the campus needs to take on another stage of development in order to ensure that it is able to respond effectively to the needs of Barbados and the wider Caribbean region.
“Cave Hill was built as an undergraduate school, that was the vision; an undergraduate school. After 45 years of service as an undergraduate school Cave Hill has to make the transition, it has now to make the transition. If it stays on the vine, it will wither on the vine, it has to go on, it has to move,” Beckles stressed, as he delivered a presentation at the Democratic Labour Party’s Lunchtime Lecture on Friday.
The Cave Hill principal revealed that the campus is scheduled to sign a memorandum of understanding with Innotech Services Limited, a local construction firm that has communicated its interest in making a donation towards the funding of a centre for construction management.
“They are going to make a contribution of $1 million dollars towards the Cave Hill campus for the establishment of a centre for construction management. We are working towards that because we recognise that the country in fact needs it, so we will have a centre for construction management in a short time,” he added.
Moreover, Beckles highlighted that during a recent UWI budget meeting held in St. Lucia with the Barbados government and other regional governments who contribute to the campus, the Cave Hill campus made a proposal for the establishment of ten research centres.
“We have asked the government to talk to us over the next six months or so with respect to funding the establishment of ten research centres at Cave Hill, designed to liberate and transform Cave Hill into a graduate and research university, all in the areas consistent with the national strategic plan”.
“A centre for the study of the law of the sea, a centre for the study of renewable energy, all of these centres will connect to industry, private and public sector…We will establish these research centres; we are hoping that when we meet with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance to discuss in the next couple of weeks these research centres, and how best to fund them, that we will get some support”.
“Believe me, this country is in need of strong, aggressive and innovative research to help to drive industry, to transform their thinking, their product design, and their competitiveness. We believe that we have a role to play and we really want to play that role,” the pro-vice chancellor noted.
He contended that the establishment of these centres also opens up additional doors, which will increase the campus’ revenue potential and their ability to export research. He went on to disclosed that the campus signed a million dollar agreement late last year with the National Oil Company of Venezuela to train their middle management executives in trade negotiations in the English language.
“Here is a corporation that is globalising its marketing activity and we are now training its middle management at the tune of $1 million dollars a year…there are so many opportunities that are available to us once we are capitalised in the right way”.
“These research centres that we are asking for will enable us to do that, it would make an enormous difference to our future revenue streams, it transforms Barbados’ relationship to the wider world, the opportunities are abundant; the question is whether we have the resolve to take the next step,” professor Beckles queried.
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