KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) will provide $5 million in financing to the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech) to bolster research and development as well as scholastic endeavours in engineering and energy. 

The PCJ, in a release this afternoon, said it has also made a grant of $1 million available to underwrite the cost of research projects being undertaken by students in UTech’s School of Engineering (SOE).

In addition, the corporation said it will be providing approximately $4 million to fund the PCJ Renewable Energy Scholarship, which will be tenable at the SOE.

For the research initiative, at least four projects will be formulated and carried out each year by selected students, which will deal with areas that directly impact the PCJ’s mandate. The students, who will work under the supervision of experienced instructors, will explore practical applications in subjects including solar energy, biomass and biofuels, PCJ outlined.

Upon completion of projects, the reports, data and any other relevant information gathered through the research process will be submitted to the PCJ, which will have the option of implementation. This approach, according to the corporation, will facilitate capacity building in engineering while allowing the PCJ to benefit from research information.

The PCJ stated that it has also established a scholarship, which will be awarded to a student wishing to pursue a Master of Science Degree in Engineering: Renewable Energy at the SOE. The scholarship will cover the full cost of tuition for the duration of the successful applicant’s programme of study.

UTech advertised the scholarship earlier this year and a shortlist of candidates is currently being finalised from the applications received.

Interviews will be scheduled within the coming weeks and the inaugural recipient should be announced before the end of the current academic year in June.

To seal the deal, both institutions signed a partnership agreement at the PCJ’s Resource Centre today.