In November 2017, Compete Caribbean closed a competition for clusters projects across the region, which received 91 applications. Following a thorough, systematic and difficult evaluation process, the following eight finalists have been invited to pitch their project before an independent panel of judges on Friday, January 19th, 2018 from 8:30 am.
Contingent on receiving written permission from the finalists, these presentations will be live-streamed Compete Caribbean’s Facebook page.
Here is an overview of the eight finalists who will be pitching on Friday.
| Country | Project Name | Project Description | Lead Institution |
| Suriname | Promotion & Enchancement fo the North Commewijne Tourism Destination | This project intends to strengthen community-based tourism in the area of North Commewijne, Suriname | ACCESS SURINAME TRAVEL |
| Belize | Belize Shrimp Biosecurity Aquaculture Zone Management | The project will improve the performance and predictability of shrimp production in Belize. | Belize Shrimp Growers’ Association (BSGA) |
| Jamaica | Digitization of Jamaica’s Outsourcing industry: Enhancing Business Models and Advancing up the Vertical Value Chain. | This project seeks to strengthen the international competitiveness of Jamaica’s business process outsourcing cluster through adoption and incorporation of technological advances. | Business Process Industry Association of Jamaica Ltd. |
| Jamaica | Pepper Supply Chain | This project is aimed at expanding the capacity of the pepper supply chain (farmers) in Jamaica. | Grace Agro Processors (GAP) |
| Grenada | North East Cluster Grenada | The North East Cluster project is focused on developing Agri-tourism tours and experiences involving persons living in rural communities in the parishes of St. Patrick and St. Andrew. | Hidden Treasures |
| Jamaica | JBU Grow Castor Bean Project | The Grow Castor Bean initiative seeks to develop new castor-oil products within sustainable community development. | Jamaica Baptist Union |
| Suriname | Suriname High Value Natural Products Cluster | The project is aimed at supporting implementation of the cluster’s export promotion plan targeting Europe and North America. | Suriname Candied Fruits NV |
| Belize | Six small indigenous tourism enterprises in Toledo, Belize. | Enhancing the profile, competitiveness, marketability, profitability and sustainability of the products and services offered in these remote indigenous communities to meet international standards. | Toledo Institute for Development and Environment |
The evaluation is a systematic 5-step process, based on Compete Caribbean’s Cluster Evaluation Framework™ which integrates criteria inspired by the MECE principle (mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive).
For more information on clusters, see our cluster (FAQs).
