Audia Barnett, Contributor

Students view posters on display at the Cross Keys Post Office in Manchester in this 2005 file photo. The exhibition was part of the roving science and technology exposure tours sponsored by the Scientific Research Council, in partnership with the postal service.

Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) are the drivers of economies worldwide. The mettle of countries are judged on criteria such as the number of patents generated, the enabling policies and incentives in place as well as the resource base - human, financial and physical. These indicators often determine the level of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) which in, and of itself, helps to fashion the profile of the country on the international landscape.

The Government of Jamaica through the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) recently embarked on an innovative and exciting initiative aimed at steering Jamaica to attain 'developed country' status by 2030. Ambitious though it may seem when the myriad of areas for addressing are considered, the consultative qpproach, with some 27 sector task forces in place, is laudable.

STI presents a common thread which, if prudently used, can guarantee success in most, if not all, of the economic and social development activities needed for developed country status. Where do we begin, though?

Our main universities - University of the West Indies (UWI), University of Technology (UTech), Northern Caribbean University (NCU) and the University College of the Caribbean (UCC) all have a distinct role to play. So do state-owned entities such as the Scientific Research Council (SRC), Bodles Agricultural Research Station and the Bureau of Standards, Jamaica (BSJ). A cursory analysis may result in injudicious recommendations regarding the way forward for these agencies.

Chieving long term goals

Barnett

While not advocating less than prudent use of our limited resources, it is expected that in achieving our long-term goals, the country has to invest in activities that will result in innovations, while maintaining internationally required standards for trade. Research and development (R&D) is currently being done by all the abovementioned institutions, albeit at different levels, and often with different focus. Some ask - do we need to conduct basic research? In these circles it is felt that we do not have the capacity (intellectual and otherwise) to add new knowledge when compared to the industrialised countries.

However, Jamaica has unique characteristics - biodiversity (terrestrial as well as marine) and mineral resources that require investigation and further development in the best interest of the people of Jamaica, In other words, we cannot depend on others to conduct R&D for our benefit. We note this in the case of GM Foods - the developed countries, despite claims that these foods were being developed to solve world hunger, focused on foods which were not necessarily of importance to the poorest and most marginalised in the world.

So, yes, there is definitely need for basic research. This, however, must be done with the country (and region's) priorities and national imperatives in mind.

The value of applied R&D is well known - with work being done on plant, animal and mineral resources for improving efficiencies and moving up the value chain. The gamut of R&D activities that need to be undertaken in the country spans from utilising our endemic plants for medicinal products to developing alternative energy sources.

There is often a chasm between the R&D work that our local universities can undertake and that which specialised, industry-aligned organisations - such as the Sugar Industry Research Institute, Bauxite Institute, Bodles Research Station, Scientific Research Council, to name a few, can pursue. This does not in any way detract from the value in applied R&D that universities bring to the table. On the contrary, universities worldwide have been making a nexus with industry in tackling related problems ... and in so doing, increase their relevance. It is the way that we also have to go. Keeping the 2030 target in mind, though, we need to identify some potential winners and then prioritise.

We may not have the luxury of starting from scratch in our knowledge base - tacit and otherwise. Utilising the strengths of existing R&D institutions and building their capacities, while we close the existing knowledge gap between academic R&D, applied R&D and 'real-time', practical, industry-driven R&D, may be a more prudent route for us at this time.

Tackle industry problems

Additionally, partnering of research centres and universities to tackle industry problems could assist in the transfer of the tacit knowledge resident in industry-based R&D institutions. Mindful of the fact, that the most mature of the universities in Jamaica is a regional one, also suggests that its dictates may not necessarily synchronise with the national priorities at any particular time. As such, the country needs to strengthen local capacity of its national institutions.

Recognising that efficiency and productivity in public sector scientific institutions require improvement, the rationalisation of analytical services (food, water, soils) was identified some years ago as one such activity that could optimise use of resources. Efforts such as these have to be fast-tracked if we are to become a developed state by 2030.

As the scientific and business fraternities, as well as policymakers and civil society, prepare for meeting short- and long-term goals, we must engage in informed planning, as it is oh so easy to throw out the baby with the bath water in our earnest quest to move ahead.