Innovation continues to be a big buzzword in the digital age, with organisations, and even countries, aspiring to be ‘more innovative’. But what does that mean, and what can Caribbean countries and organisations do to better nurture and, ultimately, leverage innovation? We circle back to one of our earliest interviews and the interview that launched our innovation series in 2019!  Based on his illustrious career in Engineering and Education, Professor Patrick Hosein shared his thoughts on, among other things: what Caribbean countries might be doing wrong with regard to fostering innovation; who exactly should be driving innovation; and important elements that are still missing in the Caribbean to foster innovation.

 

This episode is also available on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music!!

Although we may all be hyper-aware of the term ‘innovation’, it still seems to be an elusive concept that few people seem to truly understand. As a result, we still have people, organisations and even countries claiming to be fostering innovation, but not appearing to produce any meaningful results.  

We thus thought it opportune – especially with yearend approaching and we start making plans and goals for 2025 – to revisit this episode we recorded with Professor Patrick Hosein that kicked off the innovation series we did in 2019. So, if your organisation is hoping to be more innovative in 2025, or national goals are being prepared, this (relatively) short conversation with Professor Hosein packs a punch!

 

Introducing our guest

Professor Patrick Hosein

Professor Patrick Hosein attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he obtained five degrees including a PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He has worked at Bose Corporation, Bell Laboratories, AT&T Laboratories, Ericsson and Huawei, and has published extensively with over 150 refereed journal and conference publications.

Patrick holds 41 granted patents in the areas of telecommunications and wireless technologies. He was nominated for the Ericsson Inventor of the Year award in 2004, was the Huawei US Wireless Research Employee of the Year for 2007 and is a 2015 Anthony Sabga Caribbean Laureate for Science and Technology. He is presently the administrative and technical contact for the .tt top-level domain and the Chief Executive Officer of the TTNIC and a Professor of Computer Science at the University of the West Indies. His present areas of research include Applied Data Science, Operations Research and Performance and Pricing Optimisation for Cellular Networks.

 

Insight into our conversation

Although this conversation with Professor Hosein is over five years old, it is still as relevant today as it was when it was first recorded. One of the points he made that has stayed with me is the excitement young graduates tend to have at the prospects of applying what they have learnt, working on exciting projects, and, ultimately, changing the world.

However, all too often, the actual workplace is a soul-sucking experience that throws cold water on their hopes and dreams. It is only those who are especially driven and perhaps have connections (and luck!) will leave their home countries to seek better and more enriching opportunities.

Below are key of the questions that drove our conversation.

  1. What might Caribbean countries be doing wrong with regard to fostering innovation
  2. Who should be driving innovation: Government and/or the private sector?
  3. Recognising that innovation tends to require lots of resources, especially money, how can Caribbean countries still foster innovation, and/or justify the spend needed?
  4. Through schools and universities, we gain knowledge and certain skills, which are crucial foundational elements, but are they – in fact – fostering innovation?
  5. Why is it crucial to focus on problem formulation when trying to find a solution to a problem?
  6. How important is it to develop and nurture a culture of patents, and by extension, Intellectual Property, when trying to foster innovation?
  7. What might be some of the important elements that are still missing in the Caribbean, in order to foster innovation?

 

We would love to hear your thoughts!

Do leave us a comment either here beneath this article, or on our Facebook or LinkedIn pages, or via Twitter, @ICTPulse.

Also, if you or a member of your network is interested in joining us for an episode, do get in touch.

Let’s make it happen!

 

Select links

Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that either were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise, might be useful:

 

 

Images credit:   P Hosein; rawpixel.com (Freepik); Gerd Altmann (Pixabay);  Jannoon028 (Freepik)

Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell