CARICOM 25: The Research and Science Projects from the Caribbean Tackling Our Biggest Challenges

A special report by Innovation Report tracking breakthrough research and innovations across the Caribbean region in 2025

Key Points

✓ The University of Guyana's G-CAS platform provides real-time satellite monitoring of 459 kilometres of coastline, enabling flood predictions hours or days before disasters strike, protecting 90% of the nation's population living below sea level.
✓ The University of Trinidad and Tobago's Rubber Crumb Project transforms 1.5 million waste tyres annually into high-value road materials and manufactured products, creating economic value from environmental liability while addressing regional waste management challenges.
✓ The University of the West Indies Cave Hill's Rum and Sargassum Inc. converts invasive seaweed that fills 800 dump trucks on bad days into Bio-CNG vehicle fuel, tackling coastal pollution, distillery waste, and fossil fuel dependence simultaneously.
✓ The Association of Reef Keepers in the British Virgin Islands deployed the Caribbean's first large-scale 3D-printed coral reef structure, using 254 terracotta bricks designed to promote coral colonisation and restore protective reefs that have suffered 90% degradation since 2005.

Ninety percent of Guyana's population lives on land below sea level. Caribbean nations discard 1.5 million tyres annually with nowhere for them to go. Sargassum seaweed blankets beaches in mounds that fill 800 dump trucks on bad days in Barbados. The region has lost over 90% of its coral reefs since 2005. These crises define both the vulnerability and the ingenuity of Caribbean innovation in 2025.

Throughout 2025, Innovation Report will track developments across coastal resilience, circular economy innovation, renewable energy, marine restoration, and climate adaptation—sectors where solutions to Caribbean challenges have global applications.

Our CARICOM 25 report will encourage international coverage of the 25 leading Caribbean region research and innovation-focused projects to watch in 2026.

CARICOM 25 highlights projects addressing these challenges. From Guyana's satellite platform predicting floods before they hit to Barbados converting invasive seaweed into renewable fuel, these breakthroughs demonstrate how Caribbean researchers develop innovative solutions to pressing environmental and resource challenges that affect island nations and coastal communities worldwide.

1. Satellite system predicts Guyana's floods before they hit

University of Guyana | Guyana
Partners: University College London, Spatial Informatics Group, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

In January 2005, Professor Temitope Oyedotun watched water sweep across Georgetown. The floods affected 290,000 people—nearly half of Guyana's population. Damage reached $465 million, equivalent to 60% of the country's entire GDP. Families lost everything. The economy staggered. Twenty years later, Oyedotun still remembers one detail: when he was a boy fishing along Georgetown's seawall, high tides rarely spilled over. Today, overtopping occurs regularly. Sea levels are rising at 10.2mm annually—five times the global average.

The Project

In April 2025, the University of Guyana's Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences launched G-CAS (Guyana Coastal Analysis System)—a free, web-based platform providing real-time satellite monitoring of Guyana's 459-kilometre coastline. The system integrates Google Earth Engine satellite data with machine learning algorithms to predict coastal changes, analyse flood risks, and track underwater terrain shifts.

G-CAS processes satellite imagery automatically, generating decision-ready information without requiring expensive field surveys. The platform's flood modelling capabilities combine real-time weather data with topographic information to predict inundation risks hours or days before flooding occurs. Machine learning algorithms analyse historical data alongside current satellite imagery, enabling authorities to anticipate problems before they become disasters.

During the launch demonstration, Oyedotun showcased real-time monitoring in the Bush Lot area of Region Five, where the system accurately tracked shoreline changes and generated exportable data for immediate use by planners and emergency responders.

The platform was developed through PEGASuS, funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and administered by Future Earth, a global research platform for sustainability science, with technical collaboration from University College London and Spatial Informatics Group.

Impact

G-CAS protects communities housing 90% of Guyana's population and 75% of its economic activities. The platform's early warning capabilities enable evacuations, infrastructure protection, and emergency resource deployment that can save both lives and economic losses. For agricultural communities vulnerable to saltwater intrusion, G-CAS tracks coastal squeeze and bathymetric changes that indicate when protective barriers may fail, allowing farmers to relocate crops before saltwater destroys their harvests.

The Civil Defence Commission has embraced G-CAS as a cornerstone of national resilience planning. Regional governments across the Caribbean have expressed interest in adapting the platform for their monitoring needs. The technology's cost-free implementation makes it attractive for resource-constrained governments seeking immediate climate adaptation solutions.

What to Look Out For

Enhanced mobile applications for field researchers, expanded satellite data integration, and automated alert systems for emergency management. The challenge: maintaining continuous monitoring as climate impacts accelerate. The solution taking shape: regional implementation across Caribbean nations facing similar coastal vulnerabilities, creating a network of shared climate resilience infrastructure.

2. Trinidad & Tobago turns waste tyres into roads and exports

University of Trinidad and Tobago | Trinidad and Tobago
Partners: Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI), Ministry of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development, University of the West Indies

Trinidad and Tobago discards 1.5 million tyres annually. They pile up in vacant lots, collect rainwater that breeds mosquitoes, and occasionally catch fire, sending toxic smoke across neighbourhoods. For decades, the island had nowhere to put them. Professor Prakash Persad, President of UTT, saw something else: raw material for an economy trying to move beyond oil and gas.

The Project

UTT's Rubber Crumb Project transforms waste tyres into high-value materials through a pilot-scale granulation facility at the San Fernando Campus. The project produces rubber crumb—granulated tyre material that can be mixed into road asphalt, manufactured into mats and tiles, or used in footwear production.

In collaboration with CARIRI and the University of the West Indies, researchers completed formula optimisation studies for asphalt modification, leading to a successful pilot road paving exercise. The rubber-modified asphalt creates more durable, flexible road surfaces that can better withstand tropical heat and heavy rainfall. New equipment is being procured to expand commercial trials for mats, tiles, and footwear production, supported by market research studies informing a robust business case for scale-up.

The project embeds innovation within UTT's curriculum—students, researchers, and communities participate in developing the technology and business models. This approach reflects UTT's mandate: producing industry-ready graduates who can drive economic diversification away from oil dependence.

Impact

The project addresses environmental liability while creating economic value. Each tyre diverted from landfills becomes infrastructure material, reducing both waste management costs and road maintenance expenses. The rubber crumb can be sold domestically or exported to other Caribbean nations facing similar tyre disposal challenges.

Beyond waste management, the project demonstrates a replicable model for small island developing states. With widespread tyre disposal issues across the Caribbean, UTT's technology and business approach can be adapted regionally. The project also provides training opportunities for students and the private sector, building capacity for circular economy innovation across Trinidad and Tobago.

What to Look Out For

Commercial-scale production facility development and regional expansion beyond Trinidad. The challenge: building stable markets when Caribbean nations currently import road materials and manufactured goods from outside the region. The solution: demonstrating cost-competitiveness and superior performance of rubber-modified products while establishing regional supply chains that keep value within CARICOM economies.

3. Barbados turns seaweed plague into vehicle fuel

University of the West Indies, Cave Hill | Barbados
Partners: Rum distilleries, local sheep farmers

Rum and Sargassum Inc. Bio-CNG fuel production — The Rum and Sargassum Inc. team at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill demonstrating their Bio-CNG vehicle fuel production system

On bad days, invasive Sargassum seaweed fills over 800 dump trucks in Barbados. The brown mounds smother beaches, killing turtle nesting sites and destroying the tourism economy. Hotels spend millions clearing coastlines. The seaweed returns with the next tide. Dr. Legena Henry, a mechanical engineer at UWI Cave Hill, commuted past those beaches every day until her student Brittney McKenzie asked: "Why don't we look at Sargassum?"

The Project

Rum and Sargassum Inc., a UWI Cave Hill spin-off company, converts invasive Sargassum seaweed and rum distillery wastewater into Bio-CNG (compressed natural gas)—a drop-in replacement for fossil fuel natural gas. The technology mixes wastewater from rum distilleries with Sargassum and manure from local Blackbelly sheep. Microbes feed on sugar in the wastewater and digest the seaweed, producing renewable natural gas through anaerobic digestion.

The project has completed proof-of-concept demonstrations, powering electric cars with biogas and installing four CNG conversion kits into gasoline and diesel vehicles in Barbados. A pilot Bio-CNG station is under construction, on track to launch the region's first Bio-CNG fuel supply for transport. The technology works as an exact drop-in for fossil fuel natural gas, requiring no engine modifications beyond standard CNG conversion kits.

International recognition has followed: BBC World Service, MIT Technology Review, and Nature have highlighted the work. The project emerged from Henry's renewable energy course when students realised Barbados couldn't replicate Brazil's sugarcane ethanol model due to limited crop volumes.

Impact

The technology tackles three crises simultaneously: coastal pollution from Sargassum, water pollution from rum distillery waste, and carbon emissions from fossil fuel transport. All Caribbean islands in the region face both Sargassum infestation and rum wastewater disposal problems, making the solution regionally replicable.

Beyond environmental benefits, Bio-CNG creates economic value from waste streams. Rum distilleries avoid wastewater treatment costs. Coastal communities reduce beach-cleaning expenses. Vehicle operators access locally-produced renewable fuel, reducing dependence on imported petroleum. The project demonstrates Caribbean leadership in blue-green innovation—combining marine resource management with renewable energy.

What to Look Out For

Launch of Barbados' first Bio-CNG fuel station and expansion to additional islands. The challenge: scaling Sargassum collection and processing to match fuel demand while managing seasonal variability in seaweed availability. The solution: developing collection networks with coastal communities, integrating multiple feedstocks (seaweed, distillery waste, agricultural waste), and establishing regional Bio-CNG infrastructure connecting multiple islands.

4. British Virgin Islands rebuild reefs with 3D-printed structures

Association of Reef Keepers (ARK) | British Virgin Islands
Partners: rrreefs (Switzerland), BVI Government Ministry of Environment, StreamOcean

Every island in the British Virgin Islands is surrounded by coral reefs. The Anegada Horseshoe Reef stretches 18 miles—one of the largest continuous coral reefs in the Caribbean and the world. Or it was. Hurricanes, bleaching events, climate change, and human activity have endangered over 90% of these reefs since 2005. Argel Horton, a marine biologist and Environmental Officer at the Ministry of Environment, watches storms hit harder each year as protective reefs crumble. Without them, low-lying communities face direct hurricane impact.

The Project

In 2024, ARK partnered with Swiss company rrreefs to deploy the Caribbean's first large-scale 3D-printed coral reef structure at Cistern Rock off Cooper Island—a popular snorkelling and dive site. The structure comprises 254 clay bricks, 3D-printed in Switzerland using terracotta, a pH-neutral material that mimics natural reef properties. The bricks function like oversized Lego pieces, designed with surface structures that help coral larvae settle and survive.

The modular design provides ecological niches with different sizes and flow conditions that promote biodiversity. Each brick's texture and cavity patterns are scientifically optimised for coral reproduction and growth. The structure redirects currents and prevents erosion while providing new fish habitats immediately upon installation. ARK and StreamOcean monitor the site using AI-powered data analysis, tracking how the reef recruits coral, fish, and other marine life.

The rrreefs system has proven successful in San Andrés, Colombia, where it increased fish biodiversity and coral growth at a pilot site. Managing Director Dr. Shannon Gore explains the BVI approach: "The design of these 3D printed bricks can be seamlessly integrated within deteriorating reefs to rebuild areas that are no longer able to protect shorelines from erosion."

Impact

Successful coral colonisation at Cistern Rock will enable replication across the BVI and regionally. The 3D-printed structures serve dual purposes: immediate storm protection for coastal communities and long-term reef ecosystem restoration. As living coral grows into and onto the structures, they evolve into self-sufficient reefs that attract diverse marine life.

The technology addresses a fundamental challenge: artificial reefs traditionally can't mimic the three-dimensional complexity of natural coral. The 3D printing process creates the nooks, crannies, and surface textures that coral polyps and marine species require. For small island nations lacking resources for traditional reef restoration methods, the modular, scalable approach offers immediate deployment.

What to Look Out For

Additional reef installations across BVI sites and adoption by other Caribbean nations. The challenge: proving long-term coral survival and growth to justify scaling investments. The solution: rigorous two-year monitoring demonstrating enhanced marine diversity, successful coral recruitment, and measurable coastal protection, creating evidence-based models for regional reef restoration programmes.

With continued coverage of exciting projects, developments, and opportunities to be featured, subscribe to the Innovation Report newsletter to learn how Caribbean researchers and institutions are shaping the region's resilient future.