Jamaica Must Harness Cultural Science to Create Wealth – Professor Morrison

Director General of the National Commission on Science and Technology (NCST), Professor Errol Morrison, says Jamaica must harness the “cultural science” of the nation to create wealth.

This cultural science, he said, has been neglected for too long, especially in developing the medicinal plants industry.

“There is a tremendous opportunity here, to build on that, to build an awareness, to build a thrust that the people can use in wealth creation,” he said, while addressing a recent JIS Think Tank.

Professor Morrison argued that successful cultivation of the nation’s cultural science will further lead to the development of a national nutraceutical industry.

“Nutraceuticals…refer to any kind of food or drink that could possibly have some benefit to health… but also the healing water, of which you know Jamaica is well endowed; the Bath, Milk River, the Rockfort,” he noted.

The NCST Director General is advocating for Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean, to put the necessary resources in place and use creativity to move the development of science and technology.

He said that a national focus on science, technology and innovation, is critical in driving job creation, development and growth.

“This is how the first world countries have done it. They have put in money …earn their way into first world status and that is the story of the Singapore, South Korea, the USA (United States of America),” he noted.

He said that support from all sectors of the country will be important in driving science and technology to contribute significantly to national development.

He said it is also important to protect the intellectual property of citizens of the country because “quite often you have an idea, and you open it to the world and somebody else takes it. They have better resources and they run with it and you lose that opportunity,” Professor Morrison added.