CARIRI Welcomes the Trust for America Representatives

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. 24th April 2024.

Exciting times at CARIRI as we welcomed the Trust for the Americas team, Mr. Rodrigo Iriani and Mr. Quimey Del Rio, to our DIA Lab in Trinidad and Tobago from April 8 – 12, 2024!

Day 1: The event began with a tour of our labs at UWI Campus, St. Augustine, highlighting our capabilities in Analytical Chemistry and Petroleum and Sustainable Energy Services. The day continued at our Centre for Enterprise Development in Freeport, where we hosted a meet-and-greet with DIA beneficiaries and toured the DIA lab. The Pitch Tank Competition and Hackathon winners presented their seed funding winning initiatives to the Trust for the Americas and OAS representatives, including a visit by our project partner from the OAS, Ms. Marina Piper.

Day 2: The team visited Kinesha Sylvester’s Fresh Press Factory, which showcased her initiatives in promoting healthy eating and mental wellness. The day was also marked by a warm reception at the Shaping the Future of Innovation Grant Awards Ceremony, where connections were made with key stakeholders and included an appearance by local celebrity Machel Montano.

Day 3: The visit concluded with a collaborative effort between CARIRI and the Trust joining forces with the Citi Foundation Trinidad team to tour H20 Grow, owned by DIA beneficiary Antonio Ramcharan. Antonio discussed the impact of the seed funding on his business growth and his future expansion plans.

This visit fostered deeper collaboration between Trust for the Americas, Citi Foundation, and our DIA Lab for upcoming projects.

The DIA Youth Innovation Lab Trinidad and Tobago represents a collaborative effort between The Trust for the Americas (TRUST), the Organization of American States (OAS), the Citi Foundation, and the local implementing partner, The Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI).