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REGIONAL INNOVATION ADVISORY GROUP
In January 2014, Caribbean Export held two-days of high-level discussion on the
state of the region’s innovation capacity during the inaugural meeting of the
Regional Innovation Advisory Group (RIAG). The objectives of the meeting were
to gain insight from the RIAG as it pertains to developing a regional innovation
strategy as a catalyst for enhancing the competitiveness of the region's private
sector and to secure buy-in for the development of a MOU for the sharing of
information among R&D, Tertiary Institutions and the Private Sector. The 15
stakeholders in attendance identified a number of challenges facing the region
as it relates to adopting an innovation agenda, and further outlined the four
thematic areas that could address the issue, namely:
• Information Sharing - developing a platform that will serve as the repository
for information and create various distribution channels to package and
disseminate the information suited to the various demographics that exist
regionally.
• Financing - identify existing angels/networks and the channels with which
we can best communicate with them to encourage them to invest in the
Caribbean.
• Intellectual Property (IP) Capture - providing training, sensitization exercise,
and build capacity at the national and regional level for firms in the use of
IP for businesses.
• Metrics - developing a competitive index on the perception of innovation
and identify initial metrics of innovation through surveys for the capturing
baseline information.
For the full list of RIAG members please refer to Annex 9 of this report.
In addition to the above-mentioned, Caribbean Export also supported the
convening of the following regional public-private sector dialogue meetings as
outlined below:
OECS PUBLIC-PRIVATE SECTOR DIALOGUE CONSULTATION
With the aim of establishing a Road Map for the OECS public and private sector to
determine the most viable way to advance regional private sector development,
Caribbean Export convened a dialogue consultation in St Lucia for 12 key
stakeholders across that region in February, 2014. This Road Map aims to not
only guide the structure and functionality of the leading body to guide Public-
Private Sector dialogue, but also increase trade and business advocacy in the
region.
The major issues raised were as
follows:
• The relevance of CARICOM within
the context of intra-regional trade
and commerce;
• The importance of B2B
meetings for intra
sector growth and export,
and the necessity for the
appropriate ecosystem to
stimulate growth;
• Immigration policies as a
deterrent to trade;
• Tourism-related issues impacting
small and medium-sized
businesses; and
• The role and relevance of the
Caribbean Business Council (CBC)
and the Caribbean Association
of Industry and Commerce (CAIC)
in alleviating the challenges faced
by the private sector, and in the
engaging the public sector on
these issues.
ACP-CARIBBEAN PRIVATE SECTOR
CONSULTATION
Caribbean Export hosted a regional
private sector consultation meeting
to gather input from key 32 key
stakeholders in CARIFORUM, which
will inform the ACP’s private sector
development strategy on February 14,
2014. According to the ACP Working
Paper, this strategy is necessary
following the less than satisfactory
performance of private sector support
in the past, the significant changes that
have followed in the realm of private
sector development, and the paradigm
shift that has occurred in engaging
STRENGTHENING CARIBBEAN EXPORT’S
INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY