"Put caraille in doubles, or shrimp or goat – that is innovation," suggested Minister of Planning and Development Pennelope Beckles during a function on Wednesday.
The Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI) was celebrating the achievements of its programme Bridging the Gap to Commercial Application of Innovation at the Hyatt. The programme was explained in detail and local innovators and beneficiaries displayed their creations.
The idea behind the programme originated at the Danish Technological Institute, which trained a team from CARIRI to execute a programme like its Idea Advisory Service in Trinidad. CARIRI partnered with the Inter-American Development Bank to execute the project and classed innovators into two groups: those interested in a business start-up, and those seeking to license their ideas to an existing company in exchange for royalties.
CARIRI's project takes innovators who have an idea to the prototype stage, where CARIRI tests if the right idea is being advanced and if the idea is worth building. Once it passes the test, the product is created and marketed.
Since 2018, over 1,000 innovative ideas have been submitted by students, people in rural communities and anyone who just had a good idea, said CEO of CARIRI Hans-Erich Schulz.
He added, "The key problem to be addressed was the low level of innovation exhibited by enterprises and entrepreneurs in TT, which is a constraint to economic growth and competitiveness."
Chairman of CARIRI Hayden Ferreira quoted the Global Innovation Index of 132 economies, in which TT ranked 97 in 2021.
"As our friends at the Intellectual Property Office will tell you, 97 out of 132 is not great. Even though we are on the right track, we still have a lot of work to do in this area.
"We speak about diversification on a regular basis and CARIRI is providing potential avenues for our people to commercialise their innovation."
Beckles address began by reminiscing about how recording has moved from a slate to a cellphone.
"If I brought some of the younger ones and gave them a slate and say, 'Write down all what is said,' they'd wonder, 'What is this?' because we can't envisage ourselves without a cell phone.
"Fast-tracking to covid, how did we figure out ways of getting food? We became creative. How many of you cooked during covid, who never cooked before? Sometimes, what appears to be so negative like covid, can force within us creativity.
She said she had gone to her Arima constituency recently "and bought a doubles with caraille – you find that right? But you know, we also need to understand that even if you feel it have to have the channa, there is nothing wrong, because sometimes people take things the wrong way.
"So I had a doubles with caraille and I mixed it with patchoi.
"If you think about customer service and if that is what I want and you have it, what's the big thing? Some people think you have to be traditional, but that is what allows our socie
