Amid rising geopolitical tensions, trade fragmentation, and escalating uncertainty in global logistics, two student-led research projects at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona School of Business and Management are charting a bold new path — one that links academic inquiry with national economic imperatives.

These are not your run-of-the-mill academic exercises. These final-year field projects, undertaken by master’s students in the logistics and supply chain management programme, are grounded in real-world urgency. One explores the potential for Jamaica to establish local logistics hubs tailored to the cruise industry — a sector with global reach and local potential. The other dissects Jamaica’s manufacturing vulnerability by mapping the supply chains of critical imported production inputs. Both projects offer a powerful case study of how university research can serve as a policy compass and private sector guidepost in volatile times.

As lecturer and supervisor to both groups, and having crafted the terms of reference myself, I fully appreciate how unconventional it may seem to speak so publicly about student research before its formal completion. Yet we are living in unconventional times. When trade wars, climate disruptions, and shifting alliances threaten global systems, the old playbook is no longer sufficient. We must engage differently — and earlier — with the ideas and talents shaping tomorrow’s economy.

Building Hubs to Anchor a Floating Economy

The first research project examines the development of local production, consolidation, and distribution hubs to support the cruise ship industry. Jamaica, with its proximity to major US cruise markets and its natural deep-water harbours, is already a favoured port of call. What’s missing is the logistical backbone to transform the country from a stopover into a supply base.

The Ministry of Tourism, led by Minister Edmund Bartlett, has been vocal in its ambition to position Jamaica as a supply logistics hub for the Caribbean cruise sector. Endorsements from Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International, who collectively control 73 per cent of the global cruise market, lend weight to this vision.

The student team is conducting a high-level geo-spatial analysis to identify optimal locations for logistics hubs, examining criteria such as port access, proximity to agricultural and manufacturing areas, and existing road and warehousing infrastructure. The students will also explore the pros and cons of having locations specialise in one activity, such as food production and agro-processing, warehousing, artisanal goods, or adopting a mixed-use approach at each location. In either case, the hubs would be organised into a national ecosystem for just-in-time cruise provisioning.

But it goes deeper than maps and routes. The project is about economic inclusion. By integrating local micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSME) and cooperatives into these hubs, Jamaica could unlock grass roots participation in a global industry. The team is also evaluating the benefits of designating hubs special economic zones (SEZ), which could unlock tax and regulatory advantages, making Jamaica an even more attractive supplier to cruise lines.

Expected outputs include a supply catalogue of locally producible goods — ranging from bottled beverages and jerk seasoning to hand-carved crafts and wellness products — and a database of participating businesses to match potential producers with procurement officers.

Charting Vulnerability and Opportunity in Industrial Inputs

While one group navigates the Caribbean Sea, the second dives deep into the global manufacturing hinterland. Their focus: the critical intermediate goods that Jamaica’s manufacturers depend on but do not produce — chemicals, machinery parts, packaging, and raw materials.

The problem is sobering. Jamaica’s industrial base is highly import-dependent and exposed to concentrated supply routes. A shipping delay in East Asia or sanctions in Europe could paralyse local production. Yet there’s been little systematic analysis of where these risks lie — until now.

The second student team is developing a framework to classify and assess critical inputs based on several dimensions, including economic importance, import dependency, supply concentration, and exposure to external shocks. Their work includes a value chain analysis of the top 10 most imported intermediate goods, along with ranking them by trade volume and supplier country.

More than just mapping goods, the project will visualise, at a high level, entire supply chains, from manufacturing centres in China or the USA to ports in Kingston or Montego Bay. They will assess risk factors, including geopolitical exposure, logistical bottlenecks, and availability of substitute suppliers in Caricom, Latin America, or Africa.

The deliverables are designed for impact. Policymakers will receive not just maps, but criticality ratings and risk mitigation strategies. For example, can the packaging sector switch from European to regional suppliers? Can Jamaica negotiate favourable sourcing under existing trade agreements? Entrepreneurs can also utilise these insights to identify gaps in local production where import substitution is viable.

The Broader Significance: Knowledge as National Infrastructure

Both projects point to a larger truth: the university is not just a training ground for professionals. It is a national infrastructure. In the same way roads, ports, and power plants serve the physical economy, research like this fuels the intellectual and strategic capacity of a nation.

By requiring students to submit articles to a local newspaper summarising their findings, presenting to a mixed panel of public and private stakeholders, and making their research publicly accessible, these projects are designed not just as academic capstones, but as interventions. Their goal is to inform policy, steer commercial investment, and catalyse public debate.

These efforts are timely. As global value chains are redrawn and economic blocs solidify around ideology and strategy, Jamaica must know where it stands — and how to move. Whether securing its place in cruise ship provisioning or shielding its manufacturing base from supply shocks, knowledge is no longer a luxury, it is a necessity.

A Call for Engagement

There is often talk in policy circles about the need for “evidence-based decision-making”. These student-led projects embody that ethos. They take theoretical tools — geo-mapping, supply chain analysis, SEZ evaluation — and apply them to matters of public consequence.

I invite captains of industry, policymakers, and entrepreneurs to engage with these research outputs as they emerge. Reach out. Collaborate. Offer your data and perspectives. Help sharpen the analysis and amplify the impact.

These are not mere academic assignments. They are drafts of Jamaica’s economic future — written by young minds, supervised by committed faculty, and grounded in the practical needs of our time. We would do well to pay attention. Because in a world where storms — economic, political, and literal — are gathering, the best way to weather the tide is to map our vulnerabilities, build our strengths, and set our course with care.

Ainsley Brown is an adjunct lecturer in logistics and supply chain management at the Mona School of Business and Management and The UWI Five Islands Campus. Send feedback to brown.ainsleyc@gmail.com.