Innovate! Cave Hill New Venture Challenge Opportunities
This recently concluded staff innovation competition generated several ideas for new entrepreneurial ventures by academic, technical, and clerical staff.
Virtual Open Innovation Sandbox (VOIS)
The VOIS digital platform provides a central one-stop shop where Caribbean entrepreneurs in the region and the diaspora can learn and interact. In a stimulating virtual environment platform users could: visit libraries holding specially curated tools and resources relevant to Caribbean entrepreneurs; invite others into personal office spaces and team workshops to solve problems; attend or host classes, seminars, and conferences in auditoriums; socialise and build relationships with peers, experts, and mentors; and meet with innovation partners and business support organisations.
VOIS Project Team: Mr. Clint Hurley and Mr. David Smith, Campus IT Services
Virtual Nursing Education and Research Academy
Currently, there are limited opportunities for the 3,000 nursing personnel who are members of the Caribbean Nurses Association and others in the field to access continuing professional educational opportunities to meet their re-registration requirements. Such opportunities as are available internationally are not normally culturally relevant. The Virtual Nursing Education and Research Academy based in the Faculty of Medical Sciences will fill the niche for student nurses and nursing personnel to access fee-based continuing education, consultancy remedial work as well as mentoring support and other such services at very affordable membership fees.
Virtual Nursing Education and Research Academy Project Team: Dr. Wendy Sealy, Lecturer in Nursing, Faculty of Medical Sciences
Pomegranate Organic Farm
The Faculty of Social Sciences proposed Organic Farm is geared toward cultivation of a food forest that will provide high-quality organic fresh produce at affordable prices. The farm will create awareness and empowerment on entrepreneurship in agribusiness. It will provide training in permaculture and organic farming, including short courses on all aspects of running a farm and agribusiness. In addition to supplying fresh local organic food, the farm will, in the medium and long term, offer value added products and a farm-to-table restaurant.
Pomegrante Organic Farm Project Team: Mrs. Ayanna Young Marshall, Lecturer in International Business; Prof. Troy Lorde, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences; Dr. Emmanuel Adagu, Lecturer in Sociology; Dr. Kirk Douglas, Director, Centre for Biosecurity Studies; Mr. Gavin Bovell, Lecturer in Economics
International Foundational English Language Programme (IFEL)
IFEL is a one-year intensive course for prospective international students, which can potentially significantly improve their English proficiency and prepare them for tertiary-level studies at English-speaking universities. IFEL will leverage existing infrastructure, institutional relationships, and human resources to deliver an academically rigorous and culturally rich experience, specifically targeting Chinese and Latin American students in the first instance.
International Foundation English Language Programme Project Team: Dr. Chloe Walker, Research Fellow, Department of Language, Literature and Linguistics; Ms. Andrea Walker, Administrative Assistant, SERU; Jason Haynes, Lecturer & Deputy Dean, Faculty of Law
Virtual Language Bureau (VLB)
The Department of Language, Linguistics, and Literature has proposed the creation of a Virtual Language Bureau to provide specialised training in Modern Languages (including French, Spanish, Portuguese and Mandarin) for specific professional and academic purposes. The VLB will offer virtual as well as face-to-face advanced learning and training experiences in areas such as Healthcare, Business and Trade, Tourism, Finance, Diplomacy and International Relations, Translation and Interpreting, Academic Writing, International Language Certification, Modern Language Pedagogies and Ed Tech.
Virtual Language Bureau Project Team: Dr Rosa-Ana Herrero-Martin, Lecturer in Hispanic Studies; Dr. Marco Schaumloeffel, former Lecturer in Brazilian Studies; Ms. Paula Gonzalez, Foreign Language Assistant
Business Law Information Services (BLIS)
This proposed new service in the Faculty of Law Library will provide information on business-related legislation and other documents for the 18 Commonwealth Caribbean territories from a centralised, regional database. Clients targeted will include individuals, attorneys-at-law and other interested parties desirous of creating a company or registering a business.
Business Law Information Services Project Team: Ms. Sheldine Greene, Librarian, Law Library; Mr. Henderson Waithe, Library Clerk; Mr. Larry Craig, Library Clerk; Ms. Phonsea Millington, Library Clerk; Ms. Stephanie Clarke, Library Clerk
Holders Distilleries Brandy
This project from the Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences seeks to scale up to commercial production of brandy produced from a range of locally grown tropical fruit. The manufacturing process is fully sustainable and incorporates anaerobic biotechnology. The uniqueness of this product increases the value chain of tropical fruit and further develops the green economy.
Holders Distillery Project Team: Dr. Nikolai Holder, Research Assistant in the Faculty of Science and Technology
BioSecure Inc.
A team in the Faculty of Social Sciences, including the Centre for Biosecurity Studies, proposes renewable energy powered products designed to kill adult flying, biting insects in an environmentally safe and healthy way using clean, green, and sustainable innovations. The products will be scalable from household to commercial use, e.g., resorts and restaurants. The team is seeking funding to produce a working prototype to demonstrate proof of concept.
BioSecure Inc. Project Team: Dr. Kirk Douglas, Director, Centre for Biosecurity Studies; Mrs. Ayanna Young-Marshall, Lecturer in International Business & Coordinator of SEED; Prof. Troy Lorde, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences
Safe Soccer
This venture from the Faculty of Sport is designed to provide a safe and controlled environment for recreational football at the Usain Bolt Sports Complex that enhances revenue generation in a Covid-19 era. The initiative focuses on new professional youth training programmes and sponsored mini tournaments, as well as rental of the facilities for special events.
Safe Football Project Team: Mr. Christian Renwick, Sports Coordinator, Faculty of Sport
Brisco Farmers App
Vitamins and medications for animals along with pesticides and fertilisers for plants are sold in quantities that do not match the user’s needs.Calculation is therefore needed to figure out the amounts to be used. A new app is being proposed by the Faculty of Science and Technology that allows users to determine the amounts needed for quantities other than those mentioned on the product labels. This app is easy to use and could be useful to anyone in the farming industry as well as pet owners.
Brisco Farmers App Project Team: Mr. Brian Haynes, Senior Laboratory Technician, Faculty of Science and Technology