UNESCO SCIENCE REPORT

Caricom
UNESCO Kingston Office (Kahwa et al., 2014), STI policy in
the region is desperately in need of:
n Systematic STI data collection and scientometric analysis
to inform policy-making;
n Evidence-driven decision-making, STI policy development
and implementation;
n Mapping existing STI policies, related legal frameworks
and the impact of these on all national and regional
economic sectors.
In November 2013, UNESCO launched Mapping Research and
Innovation in Botswana, the first in a series which profiles
STI in individual countries, via data and sectorial analyses,
combined with an inventory of relevant institutions, the
existing legal framework and national policy instruments
(UNESCO, 2013). By providing an in-depth situation analysis,
these mapping exercises help countries devise evidencebased
strategies to correct structural weaknesses and
improve the monitoring of their national innovation system.
This type of mapping exercise is just what the Caribbean
needs. Without a similar rigorous understanding of the
status and potential of STI in their countries, Caribbean
governments will be advancing in a haze. According to
Kahwa et al. (2014), the current poor understanding of the
Caribbean STI environment is compounded by weaknesses
in institutional research capacity and the inadequate
collection, analysis and storage of key data, including for
performance indicators.
Lack of STI data: a persistent problem
As far back as 2003, the Subregional Office for the
Caribbean of the United Nations’ Economic Commission
for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) noted the
persistent paucity of STI indicators for the Caribbean and the
negative impact this was exerting on policy development,
economic planning and the ability of Caribbean states
to assess and deal effectively with challenges requiring
innovative application of STI. The same year, ECLAC
addressed the STI indicators gap by developing a Manual for
the Compilation of Science and Technology Indicators in the
Caribbean 8 .
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics has also published
several guides for developing countries, most recently the
Guide to Conducting an R&D Survey for Countries Starting
to Measure R&D 9 (2014). In 2011, the UNESCO Institute
for Statistics ran a training workshop in Grenada to help
CARICOM countries respond to STI data surveys while
8. See: www.cepal.org/publicaciones/xml/3/13853/G0753.pdf
9. see: www.uis.unesco.org/ScienceTechnology/Pages/guide-to-conducting-rdsurveys.aspx
respecting international standards. Despite the efforts by
UNESCO and ECLAC, Trinidad and Tobago was still the only
CARICOM country providing data on R&D in 2014.
According to ECLAC, the collection and analysis of STI
performance indicators remains a challenge for the
Caribbean, despite the existence of relevant bodies, as this
task is often not included in their mandate. These bodies
include the:
n Scientific Research Council of Jamaica (est. 1960), an
agency of the Ministry of Industry, Technology, Energy
and Commerce, which has a subsidiary called Marketech
Limited and a subdivision, the Food Technology Institute;
n Caribbean Industrial Research Institute in Trinidad and
Tobago (est. 1970);
n Institute of Applied Science and Technology (formerly the
National Scientific Research Centre) in Guyana (est. 1977),
which ‘is currently being resuscitated after a long period of
decline,’ according to its website.
It is not clear why Trinidad and Tobago is the only CARICOM
country reporting R&D data but weaknesses in data collection
may be at play. In Jamaica, the UWI has formed a partnership
with the Jamaica Manufacturers’ Association to determine
the nature and level of R&D activity, as well as unmet needs,
in the manufacturing sector, at least. Data-gathering got
under way in 2014. It is planned to extend the study to
Trinidad and Tobago, where recent reports on industrial R&D
activity are not encouraging. According to the data, industrial
R&D has declined markedly in recent years (Figure 6.5). This
may have something to do with the drop in R&D activity in
the sugar sector.
Figure 6.5: GERD by sector of performance in
Trinidad and Tobago, 2000–2011
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
11.1
11.8
11.0
10.4
24.3
29.5
Business enterprise sector
68.3
1.5 57.6 41.0
2.2 55.6 42.1
2.6 67.2 30.1
2.2 61.3 36.5
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics
69.1 19.8
70.1 19.0
70.0 19.6
53.2 22.5
45.1 25.4
57.4 42.6
60.2 39.8
Government
19.9
Higher Education
Chapter 6
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