GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands (CMC) – The Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF SPC) has awarded 10 scholarships valued at US$112,000 to Caribbean nationals for the 2026/27 academic year to support studies in climate science, meteorology, natural resource management and engineering.

Nine of the scholarships will support students at The University of the West Indies (UWI), while the remaining award will fund postgraduate studies at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom.

The scholarships cover disciplines considered important to strengthening disaster risk management and climate resilience across the Caribbean, including geoinformatics and geology.

CCRIF said it has awarded more than 200 scholarships worth over US$2.2 million to Caribbean students since 2010, supporting studies at universities in the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and the United States.

With this year’s nine awards to UWI students, the facility has provided 178 undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships to Caribbean nationals at the regional university, representing an investment of US$1.3 million.

Five postgraduate scholarships, valued at up to US$11,000 each, will support master’s-level studies at UWI’s Cave Hill and St Augustine campuses, representing a total investment of US$55,000.

Four other scholarships will assist students entering the second year of bachelor’s degree programmes aligned with CCRIF’s mandate. Each student will receive US$8,000, comprising US$4,000 for the second year and another US$4,000 for the third year.

The awards, totalling US$32,000, will support studies in Geomatics Engineering, Disaster Risk Resilience and Environmental and Natural Resource Management, Geology, and Civil Engineering at UWI’s Mona and St Augustine campuses.

Under a memorandum of understanding with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH), CCRIF has also awarded US$25,000 to Jamaican national Akeem Dawes to pursue a Master of Science in Applied Meteorology and Climate with Management at the University of Reading.

Dawes is required to return to CIMH after completing his studies and work there for at least three years, strengthening the region’s capacity in meteorological and climate services.

CCRIF said the partnership with CIMH is intended to develop a pool of climate science professionals to serve the Caribbean.

This year’s scholarship recipients are from Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago.

“Every scholarship we award is an investment in the region’s ability to understand, prepare for and recover from natural hazards and climate change. These young people will become the scientists, engineers and natural resource managers whose expertise our member countries will depend on in the years ahead,” said CCRIF chief executive officer Isaac Anthony.

“We are proud to continue our long-standing partnerships with The UWI and CIMH, and we look forward to seeing this new cohort contribute to a more resilient Caribbean,” he added.

The scholarship programme is delivered through CCRIF’s Technical Assistance Programme and forms part of its broader commitment to building capacity in disaster risk management, disaster risk financing, climate change and sustainable development.

Scholarship funds are paid directly to the universities to cover tuition and related fees, with any remaining balance provided to students as a stipend.