The newly established Caribbean Climate Innovation Centre (CCIC), an initiative of the World Bank's infoDev, will be officially inaugurated today by Jamaica's Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Phillip Paulwell, and Minister of Planning and Sustainable Development, Dr Bhoendradatt Tewarie.
Funded by infoDev, a global innovation programme of the World Bank Group, and by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development of Canada, CCIC has been established as a consortium managed by two leading scientific institutions in the region–the Scientific Research Council (SRC) of Jamaica and the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (Cariri) of T&T.
The goal of this innovative regional hub is to create the necessary institutional capacity to support Caribbean entrepreneurs committed to developing locally appropriate solutions to climate change. CCIC will provide local new ventures and SMEs with a broad range of services, including financing, business training, network building opportunities and policy support.
The launch at Cariri's Centre for Enterprise Development in Freeport, will gather close to 100 stakeholders in the field of clean energy and climate technology, as well as senior representatives of the World Bank and the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development of Canada.