Compete Caribbean+ Shortlists Nine Clusters for Climate-Smart Growth and Innovation
Three clusters are shortlisted through the OECS & Belize call and six through the Innovation Clusters call.
CARIBBEAN — Compete Caribbean+ has shortlisted nine clusters from two calls for proposals under its Clusters and Value Chains Instrument. The selected initiatives span agri-food, wellness, circular economy, healthcare resilience, biodiversity and creative industries.
The calls drew 79 proposals from across the region. Call #2, a dedicated window for the OECS and Belize, received 18 applications from five countries. Call #3, the region-wide Innovation Clusters call, received 61 applications from 11 countries.
- 79 proposals received across both calls
- 9 clusters shortlisted
- 6 Caribbean countries represented on the shortlist
The shortlist will proceed to technical assistance for Cluster Development Plans. The plans will be considered by an Investment Panel as the next step toward implementation support.
Pathway to implementation
Following technical assistance, Cluster Development Plans will be presented to an Investment Panel. Grant amounts are US$250,000 under Call #2 and US$350,000 under Call #3.
The nine shortlisted clusters
Three clusters from the OECS & Belize call and six clusters from the Innovation Clusters call.
Call #2 · OECS & Belize
Belize Blend — Belize
Fine-flavour chocolate cluster integrating climate-smart agriculture, quality management and eco-tourism.
Lead firm: Corridgeree Belize Ltd
Seamoss and Wellness Value Chain — Saint Lucia
Seamoss value chain strengthening production, product quality, value-added products and market positioning through a unified brand.
Lead firm: Export Saint Lucia
Vincy Fruit Flavoured Seamoss — Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Export-focused collaboration for research and development, shared processing, stronger raw-material supply, skills transfer and a route to market.
Lead firm: Grenadines Gold Ltd
Call #3 · Innovation
Jamaica Zero Waste Project — Jamaica
Waste-to-value circularity platform focused on organic-waste diversion and agricultural output, including a digital application, research trials and certification.
Lead firm: SmilOzone Waste Management Limited
Caribbean Biodiversity Monitoring Cluster — Saint Lucia
Integrated, genomics-based biodiversity monitoring framework spanning Saint Lucia’s marine and terrestrial environments.
Lead firm: CariGenetics (LC) Limited
Close the Loop Caribbean — Trinidad and Tobago
Circular-economy ecosystem to divert and process six waste streams through a commercialised public-private partnership model, with regional scaling.
Lead firm: Close the Loop Caribbean Ltd.
Sustainable Health Infrastructure & Emergency Linkages in Disasters (SHIELD) — Jamaica
Climate-resilience hub-and-spoke healthcare network model to reinforce failure points in health systems during disasters.
Lead firm: Novamed Limited
Climate-Smart Cocoa Shell & Botanical Cluster — Grenada
Research and development to valorise cocoa bean shell waste into beverages, supported by food safety, branding, packaging, market access and traceability.
Lead firm: Tri-Island Chocolate
Digital Creative Industries Cluster — Trinidad and Tobago
Industry-led innovation ecosystem for creative industries, with product development, export acceleration, talent development, intellectual-property support and capacity building.
Lead firm: Trinidad and Tobago Coalition of Services Industries
About Compete Caribbean+
Compete Caribbean+ stimulates economic growth, productivity and innovation in 13 Caribbean countries. A partnership of the Inter-American Development Bank, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the Caribbean Development Bank and the Government of Canada, the programme fosters sustainable, inclusive private-sector development.
