Future Barbados to scale up innovation drive under new ministry

The new national innovation agency, Future Barbados, is embarking on a new phase of expansion as part of government plans to accelerate technological development, strengthen youth participation, and turn research ideas into practical solutions with regional and global reach, its director announced Wednesday. 

Director Tamaisha Eytle Harvey confirmed that the unit is entering a new phase, when she went before lawmakers as the House Estimates considered the $188m appropriations for the Ministry of Innovation, Industry, Science and Technology (MIST). 

Future Barbados is a national innovation and inspiration engine operating as the innovation arm of MIST. It functions as an “innovation incubator”, designed to transform bold, forward-thinking ideas into tangible products, policies and enterprises.

The organisation structures its mission around three core pillars: social innovation, talent activation and ecosystem building. It focuses heavily on developing and connecting high-value youth talent through initiatives such as its “Talent Hub”, while simultaneously fostering sectors including green entrepreneurship, climate innovation and smart city design.

It is committed to cultivating an environment where purpose-driven talent can thrive, ensuring that Barbados remains an impactful and forward-looking nation capable of influencing global conversations on sustainable development and innovation.

The director highlighted that the unit is currently shifting towards scaling its operations.  

Harvey said: “Social impact innovation needs ideas, and it’s not just youth. We want agility, we want new ways of looking at things, and it’s not just technology; it’s how technology and policy come together to activate the solutions and continuously build the solutions.”

Following its transition from the Prime Minister’s Office to the Ministry of Innovation, the unit has focused on moving to large-scale implementation.

Harvey outlined key initiatives for the coming year: “The health tech incubator has been completed, we’ll be launching the ideation stage, the MVP track of actual health technologies built right here in Barbados, to be piloted in the public sector.

“We’ll be working with the Caribbean Science Foundation for the Caribbean Science Summit first ever, which will give that opportunity to bring together science and technology talent from here and the diaspora to meet in person and online.

“One of our key challenge areas will be mental health and building challenge teams around finding solutions for mental health.”

Innovation minister Senator Jonathan Reid highlighted significant budgetary increases — noting a rise from $1.5m to $3.2m for professional services and a jump from $1m to $3m for operating expenses within the sub-programme.

The minister explained that the budget increase reflects a deliberate expansion of ambition.  

“The reflection of the increase in budget is quite frankly a reflection, increase in ambition for it,” he said. 

The programme has transitioned from the Prime Minister’s Office to the ministry, focusing on harnessing the skills of Barbadians — particularly young graduates — to drive innovation, he said. 

The unit acts as a platform for “short-term engagements” where talent can solve national problems in sectors ranging from agriculture to health, he added. 

Successes cited included the development of internal finance platforms and contributions from cohorts now working in such government departments as the Fisheries Division.