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This year’s National Innovation Awards winners, from right: Pamela Austin (5th, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, NULL, NULL, 0); ??Dr. Harold Gibbs (2nd, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, NULL, NULL, 0); Shannon Clarke (1st, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, NULL, NULL, 0); Kelvin Lovell and Jason Cadogan (3rd, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, NULL, NULL, 0); and Cherie Pounder and Dwayne Squires (4th). (G. Brewster/BGIS) |
Barbados must find ways to tap into global knowledge and technology systems – in short, innovate – in order for society to maintain and surpass its current standard of living.
This view was expressed by Acting Director of the National Council for Science and Technology (NCST), Charles Cyrus, as he addressed the 2012 National Innovation Awards on Saturday.
Mr. Cyrus explained that the purpose of the competition was to encourage persons to be inventive, so that Barbadians would be encouraged "…to use their creativity and innovative potential to come up with ideas that can be commercialised" he said.?? While noting that the submissions received were halved when compared to previous years, he acknowledged that the value of the competition could not be understated.
"Through the years, a number of business enterprises have emerged as a result of this competition. Indeed, these have not only come from winners, but from other individuals who have participated," he said.
The Acting Director emphasised that innovation had become a necessity, as it would determine "how competitive Barbados will be, and as a consequence, the quality of our survival…It is only fitting that it remains prominent in the consciousness of all Barbadians. Programmes such as the National Innovation Competition, which seeks to encourage, highlight and celebrate innovation at the level of the individual or group, while at the same time providing a catalyst for entrepreneurship, must be supported and encouraged," he observed.
However, he acknowledged that being innovative was just one part of the ultimate goal of taking a creation to the consumer, adding that "any product or service claiming to be innovative must pass the test of having a presence in the market place."
This year’s National Innovation Award winner, Shannon Clarke, won with Clever Grocer software, which was designed to maintain a database of grocery items for persons to use during their shopping trips.??