A Symposium aimed at encouraging the Barbados Manufacturing Community to be more innovative in its practices is on the cards for next month.

The Meeting, which is part of a wider project initiative entitled the Barbados Manufacturing Innovation Community Project, is slated for Monday, June 17 and is geared at empowering and developing the sector.

According to Economist in the Division of Industry and International Business, Cyril Gill, the Ministry is in the process of making the necessary plans for hosting a National Symposium on Innovation and Manufacturing under the theme: Innovation, Growth and Competitiveness – Creating a Manufacturing Dynasty, at the Savannah Hotel, Hastings, Christ Church on June 17 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

He said: "The Symposium will seek to bring together members of the manufacturing community; leading private sector professionals in design; engineering, and financial services as well as members of academia, regulatory bodies, principal development agencies and others with an interest in bringing about a more vibrant and innovation driven manufacturing community in Barbados."

The conference will allow participants to be updated on international perspectives pertaining to the drive behind innovation and economic development; offer unique opportunities for interested parties to propose suggestions towards establishing an environment which may empower manufacturing enterprises and their related service providers to integrate innovation into their business operations.??

In addition, it will enable manufacturing firms to develop new innovative products and processes through the ???ideation,’ ???implementation,’ and ???commercialisation’ values chain.

Stressing that the underlying basis of these discussions would be to set the platform for the development of projects, the Economist pointed out that this might redound to the benefit of society whilst "creating a platform for expanded growth and product diversity within the manufacturing sector".

The project’s objectives are: to develop a more open and collaborative approach to public policy, innovation and manufacturing development; to integrate innovation into the production operations of manufacturing firms and their related providers and to develop and apply the right skill sets to facilitate innovative approaches within the manufacturing community.

To register for the event, persons may contact Cyril Gill at the Division of Industry and International Business, at telephone number 625-2200 or email: bds.industry@gmail.com.??

theresa.blackman@barbados.gov.bb

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