JAMAICA could already have locally engineered clean technologies serving entire communities if the patents created by its own PhD students were not being left on the shelf.

The Caribbean Climate Innovation Centre (CCIC) is raising the alarm that promising innovations developed at The University of the West Indies (The UWI), the University of Technology (UTech), and other institutions are being neglected instead of commercialised.

“What we find is, once these [research] papers are published, these students move on with their lives; it’s what they use to get their doctorate and PhD [as] they are good ideas. What we want to see is, once they get their doctorate and PhD, they actually take these patents and innovations and commercialise them,” shared Carlinton Burrell, chief executive officer of CCIC.

The issue was highlighted during a Conversations in Science forum hosted by the Scientific Research Council last week. As discussions shifted to Jamaica’s climate resilience in the wake of Hurricane Melissa, Burrell pointed to a worrying trend: universities continue to generate what he described as “brown economy” innovations such as engineering prototypes in water management, agri-tech, transportation and climate resilience that could be deployed across communities, yet once the thesis is complete the patents remain unused. To close the gap, Burrell pointed to the technology commercialisation sub-offices (TCSOs) established by the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ), including units at the Scientific Research Council, The UWI and UTech. These offices, along with the CCIC, are designed to help innovators take patents from research to market through prototyping support, business modelling, and access to funding tools.

“We encourage people to come in, call the SRC, call the CCIC; you can also write to us. We help whether you’re at the idea stage, prototype stage, or already commercialised. And if you are commercialised, we help you to scale into new markets,” he said.

While acknowledging that many students focus primarily on completing their qualifications and that entrepreneurship can be challenging, especially when financing is required, Burrell advised that innovators partner with individuals or organisations capable of developing the patents further. The CCIC provides direct support, financing and technical guidance to entrepreneurs at all stages. Burrell added that the TCSO can also be contacted by engineers or innovators seeking solutions, with both entities offering tools and methodologies at no cost as they work closely with financial institutions.

“We walk these entrepreneurs through different business models, if they haven’t already come up with a business idea,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

However, he cautioned that the commercialisation process, though accessible, can be tedious. He recommended that innovators start early by building presentations, refining concepts, and identifying the specific problems their ideas aim to solve. The CCIC is currently in discussions with the Sygnus Group, which is looking to the organisation to provide bankable entrepreneurs who are ready to scale.

“We are in the process of working with entrepreneurs to get this type of investment. There is a US$5-million facility right now that entrepreneurs can tap into,” he shared.

Burrell noted that many innovators do not realise their ideas fall within the clean-tech or climate-tech space. He encourages them to contact the CCIC for guidance in identifying and strengthening the clean-tech elements of their products. Even entrepreneurs whose solutions are not originally designed as climate-tech offerings can pivot by working with the CCIC to achieve a transformed, commercially viable, clean-tech product and secure the financing partners to fund their growth.

Dr Aisha D.Bailey, founder and principal consultant at MLR Technology and Innovation, moderates the panel discussion on Weathering the Future: Science, Food Security, and Smart Infrastructure for a Resilent Jamaica, on Thursday, November 27, 2025 at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel. (Photo: Naphtali Junior)