National ST&I Strategic Plan 2026-2035 to Be Taken to Cabinet Soon

Jamaica’s first unified, mission-driven framework for converting knowledge, research, and innovation into national development outcomes will be taken to Cabinet shortly for review and approval.

Dubbed the ‘Jamaica National Science, Technology and Innovation (ST&I) Strategic Plan 2026 to 2035, and its governing framework: the House of Innovation’, it is the governance model and operational vision for a transformed science and technology ecosystem.

Minister without Portfolio with responsibility for Science, Technology and Special Projects, Dr. the Hon. Andrew Wheatley, provided details on the strategic plan while making his contribution to the 2026/27 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on June 2.

“For too long, Jamaica’s research and innovation capacity has operated in isolation – brilliant problem-solvers in university laboratories whose findings never reach a farmer; research institutions whose output never enters a factory; government agencies whose mandates overlap without ever connecting. We have had the capacity – what we have lacked is the coordination. We have had the institutions – what we have lacked is the architecture,” he said.

The four components of the House include The Roof – governance; The Pillars –strategic priorities; the Floor – financial stability; and the Foundation – human capacity.

Under governance, he said there will be a revamped National Commission on Science and Technology, operating with political legitimacy, commercial speed, and delivery accountability.

“A three-layer structure, chaired at the apex by the Prime Minister himself, through a Ministerial Innovation Council,” he said.

He explained that the Pillars component will comprise seven nationally determined strategic priorities, each anchored to a pressing national challenge: food security, climate resilience, biotechnology, the creative industries, circular economy, digital transformation and AI, and innovation ecosystem development. “Seven problems. Seven mandates,” he said.

As it relates to financial sustainability, he said there will be a blended finance architecture, targeting US$350 million over 10 years – secured through multilateral partnerships, private sector co-investment, and Government of Jamaica commitment – designed to raise Jamaica’s research and development investment from 0.07 per cent to 1.5 per cent of GDP (gross domestic product) by 2035.

“The Foundation – our human capital pipeline. From the Nurturing Early Scientific Thinking (NEST) programme in early-childhood institutions, through the secondary and tertiary pipeline, to entrepreneurship and commercialisation training. Every Jamaican child deserves to grow up thinking like a problem-solver,” he said.

He argued that 1.5 per cent of GDP in research and innovation investment by 2035 is the threshold at which brain drain reverses, knowledge output becomes exportable, and Jamaica earns its position as the undisputed Science and Technology Hub of the Caribbean.

“This plan was developed through rigorous national stakeholder engagement, culminating in the Ministerial Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for National Development held in March 2026. It is aligned to Vision 2030, to our National ST&I (Science, Technology and Innovation) Policy, to the AI (Artificial Intelligence) Task Force’s recommendations, to the UNESCO AI Readiness Assessment, and to our UNESCO GO-SPIN commitments,” he said.

He said the full details of the Strategy will be made public as soon as it has received Cabinet’s approval.

Meanwhile, he said the National Commission on Science and Technology will be revamped legislatively and operationally to serve as the executing authority for the plan at scale.

“What Jamaica needs is not another advisory body. We need an institution with the speed of a commercial enterprise, the accountability of a public body, and the authority to convene government, universities, private industry, and the research community around common national missions. The governance design is complete,” he said.

He added that the legislative work is in progress and a dedicated Cabinet submission will follow.

Dr. Wheatley added, as well, that the Scientific Research Council will play a pivotal role in the execution activities of the House of Innovation.

Furthermore, he recognised the Inter-American Development Bank and the Development Bank of Jamaica for their continued commitment in shaping the science and innovation agenda now before the House.

“The Inter-American Development Bank has been a steadfast partner in Jamaica’s development journey, and its engagement with this portfolio has deepened significantly as we have developed the national ST&I Strategic Plan and the House of Innovation framework,” the Minister said.

“The Development Bank of Jamaica has equally been a consistent champion of the innovation ecosystem, providing financing pathways for entrepreneurs, MSMEs, and start-ups that translate research into commercial reality,” he said.