KEYNOTE PRESENTATION

UNDP Resident Representative, Denise E Antonio

Opening Ceremony

Northern Caribbean University Research Week 2020

3 February 2020

SALUTATIONS

• President, Northern Caribbean University, Dr Lincoln Edwards Ph.D
• Research Week 2020 Chairperson and Vice President, Research & Dean of Graduate Studies, Dr Paul Gyles Ph.D
• Vice President, Academic Administration, Dr. Vivienne L. Quarrie, Ph.D.                  
• Director of the Community Counselling and Restorative Justice Centre, Janice Stewart, Ph.D.
• Director of Research, Northern Caribbean University, Dr. Jacqueline Vigilance, Ph.D.,
• President of the United Student Movement Mr. Kavion Allen
• Other Distinguished members of the academic community
• Students and friends

Let me first thank you for asking UNDP to be your keynote speaker during such an important week for Northern Caribbean University and on a topic that is fundamental to our very existence as the United Nations and particularly as the lead UN organization for development·     

I must congratulate NCU for the very apt and relevant theme for your Annual Research Week; “Leveraging Research for the Public Good and Sustainable National Development in the 21st Century”. I know that NCU is a hub for dynamic and cutting-edge research over the years. Aligned to the theme, my address to you this morning will focus on the topical and essential issue of innovation and importantly innovation for Sustainable Development Goals. Most presentations usually have a content page that explains what the presenter will present. However, for this presentation I have no such page. We live in a time of uncertainty and often we do not know what will happen next; so, I ask you take a leap of faith and journey with me and let’s see where we end up.

We are living in very dynamic and exciting time. A time of unprecedented technological breakthroughs but increasing complexities. I have lived long enough to know that the world was a simpler place to be. However, today problems are more complex, interconnected and global such as climate change. In fact, some global problems actually become national problems and vice versa; just think of the spread of diseases from one country to the next. Once upon time we use to deal with puzzles but now we are trying to solve mysteries. We are now faced with systemic or structural challenges such as multi-dimensional poverty; “wicked” problems known to be difficult or impossible to solve because of incomplete, contradictory, and changing requirements are now quite frequent such as the novel mutations of viruses (e.g. the new Coronavirus).

We are also seeing challenges that cut across the dimensions of sustainable development.

These extraordinary challenges impel us to move from micro to macro solutions and from incremental to transformational change. It is a time for unbridled creativity and unfettered innovation – not thinking out of the box but breaking the box - to leapfrog through the 21st century.

To achieve the future we want we have to harness our capabilities to address vulnerabilities that persistently impede development in small island developing states (SIDS) like Jamaica. In other words, we must address vulnerabilities to build lasting resilience if we are to achieve sustainable development. What is sustainable development? Simply put, sustainable development is defined as economic and social development that is conducted without depletion of natural resources and buttressed by strong governance. It has three dimensions; the social, economic and environment. Hence, sustainable development is really a balancing act that ensures that development in one dimension does not negatively impact the other dimensions.  On the slide you will see some typical vulnerabilities that countries like Jamaica face. Please notice that Climate change – the most pervasive global challenge of the 21st century affects every area of our lives.

Let’s zero in on Jamaica and see how we are doing as a country in some of the indices produced by the Human Development Report, Human Development Index (HDI). The HDR is UNDP’s flagship publication on human development and is recognized globally. HDI measures countries in human development across three dimensions: life expectancy; a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living (Gross National Income). 

In the HDR 2019, Jamaica’s HDI value for 2018 is 0.726— which puts the country in the high human development category—positioning it at 96 of 189 countries.

The trend report in the 2019 HDR shows that between 1990 and 2018, Jamaica’s HDI value increased from 0.641 to 0.726, an increase of 13.2 percent. Between 1990 and 2018, Jamaica’s life expectancy at birth increased by 1.2 years, mean years of schooling went up by 3.9 years and expected years of schooling increased by 1.9 years. Jamaica’s GNI per capita increased by about 20.2 percent between 1990 and 2018, as seen in the Slide.

However, when Jamaica’s HDI value is discounted for inequality on the Inequality Human Development Index (IHDI) its HDI falls to 0.604, a loss of 16.7 percent due to inequality. This means that the country struggles with inequality across the HDI dimension indices.

How does Jamaica compare to other countries across the HDI indices as referenced on the slide? I have also added the Literacy rates for the selected countries used. Note that except for life expectancy, Jamaica is trailing behind the other countries.  (Jamaica typically uses Singapore as a reference of measurement)

Now I am not here to spread doom and gloom, nor am I a messenger of bad news. I am just informing and alerting you to some of the challenges we face as a country and the work that needs to be done which involves relentless and leading-edge research to provide applicable solutions. It is impossible to find solutions if we do not know what the problems are. And of course, the flipside of problems are opportunities

At the core of sustainable development is an interplay of three dimensions. Can you remind me what they are? Yes, The Economy, the society and the environment.

If you can remember your science class, how many dimensions do you see in? We see in 3 dimensions.

Since problems are woven and interconnected and are across the dimensions of sustainable development, I then propose that we must think in 3 dimensions. Just as we see in three dimensions; we must think in 3 dimensions to address the problems to achieve sustainable development. However, most of us think in 1 dimension. If you are a doctor or an engineer; you think only like a doctor or an engineer. I assert that all problems have 3 dimensions and must be addressed across the dimensions.  

Not only should we think in 3 dimensions to solve the unprecedented problems of today; but we must also think in systems – using the systems approach. A System is any set of distinct parts that interact to form a complex whole e.g. Governance System, Innovation System, Research System. NCU is a part of the system of tertiary institutions which is a part of the system called Jamaica. Jamaica is part of a system called Caribbean Community and so on. Systems thinking is crucial to enable a multi-dimensional and transformational change.

In order to address the pervasive and global challenges and threats to development, there was consensus building through global participation that resulted in the establishment of the United Nations 17 ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). I am sure you have heard of them. They form the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and of course they embody our greatest dreams for a world where we can all achieve our fullest potential and no one is left behind. Much like Jamaica’s Vision 2030: National Development Plan.

The Sustainable Development Goals are universal, integrated and transformative. They are unique in that to achieve them requires the participation of all countries. They must be achieved at the local and global levels. Each goal is important in itself but is connected to all the others. For e.g. you cannot achieve quality education without gender equality.

The SDGs target five broad areas: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace & Partnership. They should stimulate action in every person, country and the world. Can you imagine living in a world where there was no poverty, a place where a boy or girl, man or woman could be all that he or she wanted to be and there was no fear of crime and violence? Sounds like utopia, doesn’t it?

Jamaica’s Vision 2030 is quite a comprehensive development plan and the country should be applauded for its development. UNDP supported Jamaica in assessing the alignment of the country’s planning framework (including Vision 2030) to the SDGs.

The Rapid Integrated Assessment that was done showed that considering Vision 2030, Medium-term Socio-economic Framework, sectoral plans and all other planning documents, Jamaica had 91.3% alignment to the SDG targets. Noting that areas such as environment and climate change needed to better aligned with regards to the indicators.

This is a notable accomplishment for Jamaica, and it means that achieving the goals of Vision 2030 and other development plans simultaneously achieve the SDGs.

Now that you are aware of the SDGs and some of the challenges that we face nationally and globally you must agree that business as usual cannot be the order of the day.

We must do something different as reflected by the theme of your Annual Research Week. We must not only think out of the box, we must break the box and innovate for development.

How does Research and Development feature in Sustainable Development? R&D is a critical ingredient in Sustainable Development.

Given what we have learnt so far, a proliferation of new and better information is always needed; which is the vital role that R&D plays. R&D is the basis for Science, Creativity and Technology which in turn fuels innovation and entrepreneurship – essential ingredients for sustainable development. Of course, this is a two-way process. The more we innovate, the more we need R&D.

And of course, the NCU Team is no stranger to inventions, having achieved quite a few over the years.

We take note of few promising inventions highlighted by the university at UNDP's Social Good Summit 2018 hosted right here by the NCU.

·         Development of an instrument featuring a receptor designed to attract and destroy the Beet Army worm;

·         Development of Face recognition software capable of detecting persons in conflict with the law

·         Ground-breaking research and innovation related to health and wellness, including leveraging a nutraceutical product developed and patented from scientific work done by the university’s researchers to launch an ‘Institutional and National Transformation Drive’, aimed at raising funds to improve your research capacity

The challenge to you now is how to further mainstream your inventions that can transform Jamaica, preparing and strengthening their position as innovations for the public good.

The type of consistent R&D and innovation needed for sustainable development must be nurtured in a system. The system should include creativity; a supportive culture; appropriate structures and processes; funding; entrepreneurship; continuous learning etc; as seen in the slide.

An ineffective innovation system will stifle the type of creativity, R&D and inventions needed to drive new and improved innovations for sustainable development.

In looking at the system for innovation, let us now look at a few facts and figure comparing the status of R&D in Latin America and the Caribbean. When we compare share of global spending on R&D, we see that North America, Asia and Europe are the leaders in R&D spending. In comparison, countries in South America, for instance, are spending just over 2%.

This slide shows another view of expenditure in R&D by country. The size of the balls indicates the amount the country invests in R&D as a percentage of their GDP. You can again see that countries like China and the USA are big spenders on R&D and this is reflected in prolific innovations in those countries.

It has been proven and it is general consensus that countries that spend at least 1% of their GDP on R&D reap the benefits of science, technology and innovation.

Compared to other regions, LAC spends significantly below 1% on R&D. You be the judge of the development status of these countries. The fact is that even if some countries in LAC, such as some Caribbean countries, are experiencing high development now, it is not sustainable without innovation and investments in innovation.  

When it comes to the world’s share of researchers you see that again the Caribbean is comparatively low. What does this mean for R&D in Jamaica and other Caribbean countries?

Similarly, R&D and science related publications is low in the Caribbean and Africa compared to the rest of the world. Research publications is usually an indicator of scientific and research activities.

As we stated earlier, gender equality is essential for sustainable development. Women constitute a minority in the research world. They also tend to have more limited access to funding than men.  

Globally, women have achieved parity (45–55%) at the bachelor’s and master’s levels, where they represent 53% of graduates. At the PhD level, they slip beneath parity to 43%. Do you have any idea why this is so? (rhetorical question)

What does Jamaica’s Innovation Infrastructure look like?

Strategically, Jamaica is moving from short term to long-term planning as evidenced by Vision 2030. Hence, the country is moving from 1-year plans to plans exceeding 15 years. For example, recent launch of Jamaica’s Judiciary Strategic Plan 2019-2023, Mobile units, etc.

Question to NCU – Is your medium to long term plan aligned to Vision 2030/SDG? Do you have a budget that adequately commits to R&D that nurtures from the thinking to the innovation?  This long-term view is important for sustainable development. This is also critical because the incubation period for R&D to birth (realized and development) is long and arduous

Jamaica’s approach

Jamaica’s approach to Innovation is based on the Triple Helix Concept as reflected in the country’s Science, Technology and Innovation Policy.  The Triple Helix Concept promotes the interaction and participation of Government, Academia and Private sector to produce innovation and sustainable development.

Sustainable development is not and should not be the responsibility of only Government. Government should create and facilitate the enabling environment for research, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Academia and the capacity of educational institutions is also valuable and paramount.

Private sector is the engine of growth. Are you partnering with them?  For example, I learned that Grace Kennedy was once asked why the universities were not being used for R&D for many of the products and the response was that the there was no capacity in country for what they were looking for?  

In addition, research should provide information for the development of new and/or improvement of existing goods and services– the famous Lab to Market concept. While the researcher should have the freedom to do research, some of investigations should be applied to solving national and global problems. I know you will agree with me that research should not be just for the sake of research. This is applied research.

Of course, there is a strong relationship between education, R&D and life-long learning.

Quality education is essential to human development. As such, education and training drives cutting edge R&D and innovation. In many countries, cutting edge R&D is usually carried out by persons who have been tertiary trained. Although R&D and innovation is not necessarily restricted to tertiary graduates.

A high percentage of persons in the Caribbean and in Jamaica do not have tertiary education. More of our students must be able to access tertiary education. The gender disparity in educational performance is also cause for concern in Jamaica where men are falling behind.

·         Some key issues affecting science, technology and innovation (STI) in Jamaica include

·         Low levels of STI investment

·         No structured national research programme geared towards high impact output

·         Shortage of STI and other professionals (brain drain)

·         Weak research and innovation culture

Let me note that these problems are not just isolated to Jamaica but is very present in many developing countries across the world.

Jamaica’s Innovation Infrastructure

Jamaica’s Innovation Infrastructure comprises, as you would expect, a number of systems interacting together such as the education system; institutions, infrastructure (roads, ICT etc). The policy and regulatory framework is essential to R&D and innovation.

For example, a good patent and copyright system encourages innovation due to the fact that the inventor can at least benefit from the invention/innovation for a few years.

Quality internet

Are we building to manage the impact of climate change in our society?  

There are many areas of untapped potential in Jamaica where R&D can drive innovation for sustainable national development. For example, Small and medium enterprises are in need of significant business support, the economy requires diversification; new home-grown or adapted technologies are required for greater efficiency at an affordable cost.

The nutraceutical industry can generate substantial income for the country given the rich endowment of medicinal plants. R&D and innovation are required for improved health and wellness and this can be a vibrant industry based on the reports that I have read. New and better services are needed for persons living with disabilities.

And of course, we need better ways of using our natural resources sustainably.

The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity is an international agreement which aims at sharing the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way. Due to absence of adequate policy and legislation, Jamaica has lost some of its genetic resources (plant and animals) to researchers and countries from outside. UNDP will support the country, through a project, to help protect the country’s genetic resources to the benefits of its citizens.

The sky is the limit for creativity, R&D and innovation. Opportunities abound right here in Jamaica. We are sitting on goldmines.

And the trend in Jamaica is that services make up a large part of the country’s GDP. I am sure that researchers, inventors and innovators are wanting in this area. There is need for improved financial and business process; improved governance processes; etc.

·         Financial services – opening bank account

·         Tourism

·         ICT (call center)

I hope by now you realize how important NCU and other universities and particularly you as students play a critical role in achieving the sustainable development goals, whether they be local or global.

·         The University is an engine of innovation 

·         It brings together high impact teams from academia, government and industry – the Triple Helix Model

·         It links the social sciences with the natural sciences to generate innovations and solve societal problems across sectors 

·         It consistently contributes to national development through education and training, research, innovation and entrepreneurship

·         It supports incubation of a diversity of businesses 

·         It relies less on government funding 

How do universities execute their mandate to contribute to sustainable development? Here are a few recommendations.

·         Use the Triple Helix Model ​

·         Understand industry needs and country development policies ​

·         Align some R&D to industry needs – focused research ​

·         Ability to attract funding from multiple source through partnerships ​

·         Budget for R&D ​

·         High quality teaching with solution-oriented courses ​

·         Embrace change and open to ideas from multiple sources and disciplines ​

·         Willing to take risks and experiment ​

·         Values innovation and execution​

The R&D that comes from NCU must contribute to information, goods and services that are of high value, high impact lead to economic growth or social well-being. Jamaica must benefit from your R&D.

Governance fuels innovation and innovation for good governance is needed. How can we deliver public services more effectively, cheaper and more inclusive? How can we make the public sector more efficient, innovative and responsive? Behavioural insights. Patents, copyright, rule of law, transparency, enabling environment for investment, social and cultural fulfilment

Of course, innovation flourishes in environments with good governance systems whether it be at the faculty, institutional, local or national levels. More so, effective governance and innovation drive the achievement of the SDGs.

As I get to the end of my remarks, I hope that this journey has been informative, thought provoking and has motivated you to leapfrog into applied innovation mode.

In summary, high quality education and training leads to high impact R&D which leads to high impact invention, the basis for high impact innovation; high impact innovation fuels economic growth, social well-being and protection of natural resources which is really what sustainable development is all about.

In closing, permit me to leave you some reminders.

·         One Jamaica​

·         Be specific about the problems and the solutions, your offer ​

·         Question, question, question ​

·         Learn from mistakes ​

·         Don’t be afraid to aim high ​

·         Don’t be afraid to experiment and to fail. Fail forward. Fail often to succeed ​

·         Ask for help – Partner, partner, partner ​

·         We must be comfortable with uncertainty​

·         Never give up hope and never stop believing that Jamaica can be the place of choice to Live, Work, Raise Families and Do Business

​

It has been a pleasure and an honour sharing in your Annual Research Week and I hope that the week will be productive and exciting as you showcase your research work.

Let us work towards truly making Jamaica a place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business and taking the words from Chief Justice Sykes “to retire and live in peace”.