UTech, Jamaica 2015-16 Annual Report

Page 39 University of Technology, Jamaica ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016 RESEARCH AND RESEARCH MANAGEMENT RESEARCH, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION DAY The annual Research, Technology & Innovation Day (RTID), organized and managed by the SGSRE, was staged on March 10, 2016, with the objectives to: 1. Showcase recent results of research and innovation activities undertaken by faculty members and students 2. Demonstrate the facilities within the various units and other resources that are available to conduct research 3. Highlight existing research collaborations between the university, academic, and industry partners 4. Attract potential research partners from academia and industry 5. Promote the university’s courses of study, especially graduate research degrees The one-day event showcased cutting-edge applied research and innovation being undertaken by the University with the objective of significantly impacting areas of national development. The exhibits from Colleges and Faculties and the 14 Speakers’ Forum presentations covered research and innovation being pursued in areas such as business and entrepreneurship, hospitality, health, law, urban development, renewable energy, climate change sports, climate change, natural products, architecture, orthodontics, public health nutrition, food security, technical, vocational and STEM education, ICT applications, photonics. The exhibits and oral presentations at RTID 2015 were important means of communicating UTech’s work to its stakeholders. Copies of the publication, “Strategic Use of the University’s Research Development Fund to Support Impactful Research”, prepared by the SGSRE and the Corporate Communications Unit for Research, Technology & Innovation Day 2016, were distributed to attendees and to others following the event. The publication describes the University’s research management ecosystem and showcased 9 examples of high-impact research projects from across the University which had been supported by the University’s Research Development Fund (RDF). Copies of the publication have also been distributed to external stakeholders, as well as deposited in the National Library of Jamaica pursuant to the requirements of the Legal Deposits Act. The keynote speaker for the Opening Ceremony of RTID was Dr Cliff Riley, former Associate Dean, College of Health Sciences, and now Executive Director of the Scientific Research Council of Jamaica, a member of the University Board of Graduate Studies Research and Entrepreneurship (BGSRE), and a Commissioner of the National Commission on Science & Technology (NCST). High school students look at a display at RTID 2016.