School for Graduate Studies and Research

Professor Stephan Gift

Pro Vice-Chancellor, Graduate Studies and Research

For the 2019/2020 academic year, the School for Graduate Studies and Research (SGSR) continued activities to support its mandate of making The UWI more entrepreneurial, in keeping with The UWI Triple A Strategic Plan. In support of the enhancement of the graduate experience at The UWI and to facilitate increased access, the School obtained and managed a number of scholarships to provide funding for graduate students. Several initiatives were also implemented to increase the visibility of The UWI's developments in innovation and entrepreneurship across the campuses, including the special report The Entrepreneurial UWI and the continuation of the Entrepreneurial Webinar Series.

Access

New and Revised Graduate Programmes

The Board for Graduate Studies and Research, at the three meetings held for the academic year 2019/2020, reviewed and approved a total of 17 new programmes. Ten programmes revised in content, nomenclature and delivery modes were also considered and approved. Of special note, the first two graduate programmes for delivery by the Five Islands Campus were approved by the Board.

Graduate Enrolment and Student Support

Graduate Enrolment:

Enrolment in graduate programmes was 10,347, a 13% increase over the previous year's enrolment; this was largely due to increases at the Cave Hill (51%) and Open (34%) campuses. The increased enrolment this year reverses the reduction seen over the past three years, and brings it in line with 2015/2016 enrolment figure. Enrolment in research degrees as a percentage of total enrolment declined to 14%, with 44% of these registered as full time students at the Faculties of Social Sciences (37%) and Humanities and Education (30%) continued to account for the majority of registrations across all campuses.

Graduate Scholarships:

• A total of BD$2,165,913 (a 7% increase over the previous year) was allocated to all campuses for UWI Graduate Scholarships, which allowed for 43 three-year awards to research students.
• CCRIF Scholarships (US$11,000) — One full scholarship was awarded to an MSc student registered at the Cave Hill Campus.
• OAS Scholarships — Eight partial scholarships, valued at US$7,000 each, were awarded under a Memorandum of Understanding signed between The UWI and the OAS, Partnerships Program for Education and Training (PAEC), for select Master's degree programmes at residential campuses of The UWI. In January 2020, an MPhil/PhD candidate in Applied Physics was approved for an OAS LASPAU-administered scholarship.
• Two categories of the Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarships (QECS) tenable at The UWI for citizens of low/middle income Commonwealth countries, and valued at over US$40,000 were awarded. For the general award, the successful candidate from Nigeria was registered at the St. Augustine Campus; and for the new Climate Resilience Award, the successful candidate from the Solomon Islands studied at the Mona Campus.
• The inaugural UWI-Oxford University Scholarship (McIntyre-Nettleford/ Oxford University Scholarship) tenable at the St. Catherine's College, Oxford University, for a trimester, and valued at US$15,000 (tuition, university fees and accommodation) was awarded to an MSc student at the Mona Campus. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, take-up of the scholarship was delayed to the next academic year.

Capacity Development Courses, Workshops and Seminars

On behalf of the School, the Directors/Campus Coordinator, Graduate Studies and Research, continued to undertake various initiatives and developmental activities to improve throughput and for the all-round development of graduate students. Orientation sessions for new graduate students, events to recognise graduate scholarship holders, as well as workshops and seminars covering such topics as thesis writing, submission and examination, research ethics, and funding opportunities, were held throughout the year. There was also an inaugural training workshop for Chairs of oral examinations to familiarise a pool of potential Chairs to regulations and responsibilities in oral examinations. The Research Supervisor Development Course (RSDC) was also offered in order to improve the skills and knowledge of supervisors and to enhance the quality of graduate supervision. As part of its strategic initiative to build the research capacity across the University, the School hosted a four-day ProSuite Training Workshop in May 2020, facilitated by the software designer, President and CEO of Provalis Research, Dr. Normand Péladeau. Over 300 persons participated in this workshop over the four days. As was the case with other activities, several scheduled events had to be postponed/cancelled due to COVID-19.

Quality Assurance Reviews

The Quality Assurance Unit organised and coordinated several disciplinary reviews during the reporting period. These included reviews of research and taught graduate programmes in those disciplines/departments in which these programmes are offered; these are listed below. A number of reviews had to be rescheduled as the arrangements were disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Cave Hill Campus: Sagicor Cave Hill School of Business and Management, Sociology
• Mona Campus: Department of Government, Physical Therapy Section, Mona School of Dentistry
• St. Augustine Campus: Institute of International Relations, School of Education, School of Pharmacy, Psychology, Sociology, Chemistry, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Research Funding, Grants Management and International Partnerships

The University Office of Research continued its activities in providing support for staff for the preparation and submission of proposals for externally-funded research grants, and managing and reporting on these grants. The Office also continued to manage and maintain The UWI's electronic accounts with various international donor agencies to allow for the electronic submission of proposals; currently, 28 such electronic portals have been established. A number of databases were also designed and populated with data from across all the campuses. These include an Externally-funded Grants Database to enable long-term assessments of the types and values of the grants the University has been acquiring; an International and Regional Research Donors Database to determine the ongoing donors and to begin the process of acquiring funding through new Donor Agencies; and International Research Collaboration Institutions Database which will serve to strengthen international collaboration, building ongoing thrusts with future opportunities. These databases will be updated each academic year when new annual data are available from the campuses, and will be expanded as necessary.

For the reporting period, 34 research grant applications, valued at US$45,059,525, were submitted to a number of international donor agencies. The European Commission's funding programmes remain the main source of funding (US$23.2 M), followed by US funding agencies (US$16.3 M), UK research councils (US$8.2 M) and other donors (US$1.6 M). New international partnerships continue to be forged, thereby increasing the University's knowledge networks and opportunities for funding new research.

Nine new grants valued at US$13,172,608 were won during the reporting period:

• 1 ACP Secretariat grant valued at €3 M. Donor Agency: European Commission
• 2 EU Delegation to Trinidad & Tobago grants valued at €450,000. Donor Agency: European Commission
• 1 Horizon 2020 grant valued at €6.5 M; Donor Agency: European Commission
• UKRI grants valued at £1,135,769. Donor Agency: UK Research Councils
• 1 Caribbean Development Bank grant valued at US$280,000. Donor Agency: Caribbean Development Bank
• 2 Erasmus Plus grants, values not yet known. Donor Agency: European Commission

  The grant applications trend shows the funded grants are mainly from the European Commission.

  Twelve grants valued at US$9,217,660 were implemented/overseen by the Office of Research, SGSR (St. Augustine) during this reporting period:

  • 1 Horizon 2020 grant valued €2.5 M
  • 2 Erasmus Plus grants valued €2 M
  • 4 European Development Fund grants valued €2 M
  • 3 National Institutes of Health grants valued US$1.4 M
  • 1 International Development Research Centre grant valued CAD$2.9 M
  • 1 Andrew A. Mellon Foundation grant valued US$127,000

  Additionally, the Office of Research, SGSR (Cave Hill) administered the following grant projects:

  • Museums and Community: Concepts, Experiences and Sustainability in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. Donor: EU through Horizon 2020. Total Value: €2.4 M. UWI Budget: €300,000. Lead: St. Andrew's University
  • Excellence in Science and Innovation for Europe by Adopting the Concept of Responsible Research and Innovation. Donor: EU through Horizon 2020. Total Value: €6.7 M. UWI Budget: €23,450. Lead: Institute for Advanced Studies, Austria
  • Promotion of Capacity and Energy Education Development in the Caribbean Region (PROCEED-CARIBBEAN). Donor: The EC under the EDULINK Programme. Total Value: €499,000. UWI Budget: €40,500. Lead: The University of Turku, Finland Futures Research Centre, Finland.
  • The Office also facilitated the signing of the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) Project with the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and The UWI, and provided implementation support to the Other Universals: Theories from Postcolonial Locations on Politics and Aesthetics Project funded by the Mellon Foundation.

  The UWI Research Ethics Committee

  During the period under review, there was one meeting of the University Ethics Committee. The key issues discussed include exploring the viability of creating an Ethics Course for the University, the operationalisation of the online Ethics Application System to facilitate the efficient processing of applications, the revision of the current UWI Policy on Research Ethics, and the need for insurance to cover both the researchers, members of staff and Committee members.

  Alignment

  Innovation and entrepreneurship

  

  Vice-Chancellor's Special Report: Building an Entrepreneurial UWI The School in collaboration with University Marketing & Communications, prepared Building the Entrepreneurial UWI Special Report which documented the developments in innovation and entrepreneurship throughout the University. Over the last academic year, The UWI has been leading the charge in fostering a more entrepreneurial ecosystem across our regional university, expanding educational courses and training on entrepreneurship, promoting knowledge exchange through workshops, symposia and consultations with industry, and establishing a range of robust collaborations with industry partners. This Special Report highlighted activities surrounding building an entrepreneurial culture, education and engagement, the ONE UWI Innovation and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem, and The UWI and Industry Alignment.

  The Entrepreneurial UWI Webinar Series

  The School continued its Entrepreneurial Webinar Series to maintain the spotlight on The UWI's transition to an entrepreneurial university. Topics were chosen to stimulate discussion and promote the ‘entrepreneurial university' mind-set, and the audience included members of the university community, regional industry and governmental agencies. The presentations were:

  • “A UWI Innovation and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem for Revitalising Caribbean Economies”, delivered by Professor Brian Copeland, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the St. Augustine Campus, November 27, 2019. Professor Copeland shared ongoing strategies and initiatives at the St. Augustine Campus, aimed at developing commercialisation of its intellectual property with the ultimate goal of a new economy, a ‘Caribbean Mittelstand'. By 2034, he forecasts this would comprise foreign exchange earning companies.
  
  • “Bridging the Technology Transfer Gap”, delivered by Professor Daniel Coore, Professor of Computer Science, Department of Computer Science, Mona Campus, March 4, 2020. Professor Coore shared his experience in licensing the patent for The UWI Cardiac Surgery Simulator, a device which uses software to animate a pig's heart in a mock (human) chest cavity to simulate the conditions of the operating theatre during open heart surgery for the purposes of cardiac surgery training. He highlighted many of the gaps in technology transfer capabilities, discussed how those gaps could be closed, and outlined parallel activities required if The UWI is to achieve its goal of becoming an entrepreneurial university.
  

  Entrepreneurial Committees

  The School continued its engagement with the members of The UWI Entrepreneurial Steering Committee. The meeting received reports from the Campus Entrepreneurial Chairs, discussed the revisions to the Intellectual Property Policy, the innovation disclosure process, and curriculum integration. Meetings were also held with the Guild of Students at Mona and St. Augustine to apprise them of the university's entrepreneurial initiatives.

  The Launch of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Webpage

  The School launched the Innovation and Entrepreneurship webpage, to alert the university community of developments in this area. The webpage provides information about the university's entrepreneurial thrust, the various innovation and entrepreneurship committees, information on upcoming webinar sessions and recordings of the previous sessions, and general information on upcoming conferences and training opportunities.

  

  UWI-TSTT-Huawei Agreement

  An agreement was signed in September 2019 to establish the TSTT-UWI Innovation Laboratory powered by Huawei the Department of Electrical & Computer, Faculty of Engineering, St. Augustine Campus. The contributors are Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago who donated US$0.5 M for operational expenses and Huawei who donated US$2 M in equipment support. This laboratory, the first of its kind in the region, will enable students and staff to engage in innovative activities in information and communications technology, as well as provide opportunities for internships and industry exchanges. The Laboratory will also be used in teaching and experimental work.

  Agility

  Digital Transformation

  The School for Graduate Studies and Research is also leading the Academic Domain and the Innovation & Entrepreneurship element of The UWI's Digital Transformation Project. The Pro Vice-Chancellor, in his capacity as Domain Sponsor, is leading this Domain as it seeks to achieve a key pillar in The UWI's Strategic Initiative. The drive towards a digitally transformed UWI would have been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which amplified the need for a digitally enhanced environment that supports short-term operational continuity while ensuring long-term institutional viability.