PM Launches State-of-the-art IMEK Laboratory

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, officially launched the University of Technology (UTech) Lloyd Carney Foundation IMEK Laboratory on Tuesday (February 10), noting the facility’s potential to accelerate Jamaica’s technological growth.

The state-of-the-art Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) laboratory, valued at more than US$1 million, was established through funding from the Lloyd Carney Foundation, under the patronage of the University’s Chancellor and the Foundation’s Chairman, Ambassador Lloyd Carney.

The IMEK lab, which is an acronym for Innovation, Manufacturing, Engineering and Knowledge, is a makerspace for students who are creators, engineers, researchers, and entrepreneurs to find and design solutions for real-world problems.

The lab houses a metal 3-D printer, the first of its kind in the Caribbean, and five polymer printers that enable the production of high-performance engineering components for critical sectors such as aerospace, including jet engine parts; automotive manufacturing such as brake callipers and pistons; and medicine and dentistry, including implants and precision devices.

Addressing the launch event held at the University’s Papine campus in St. Andrew, Dr. Holness highlighted the timeliness of the lab’s implementation.

“Manufacturing is changing. You will always have conventional manufacturing… but the technology is evolving that allows smaller countries to participate in the manufacturing game of not necessarily scale and mass, but in high value, high technology,” he said.

The Prime Minister highlighted Luxembourg as an example of a small country that is dominating technology-driven manufacturing, noting that Jamaica has the potential to do the same.

“We can do it right here… we have the people who understand science, and the mathematics and the design. We must cultivate them and support them and dedicate resources to them,” Dr. Holness urged.

He also noted that with the laboratory at the University, specialised skills that are usually imported could now be found locally, saving time and providing a layer of security for the manufacturing industry.

The Prime Minister went on to thank Ambassador Carney for his investment and encouraged others to join in and reinvest in the youth and development of the nation.

President of UTech Jamaica, Dr. Kevin Brown also expressed profound gratitude to Ambassador Carney, stating that this investment reflects a commitment to national development through education, innovation and opportunity.

Dr. Brown noted that the laboratory is not only open to engineering and computing students but all disciplines across the University.

“All students at the University will have access to this lab –doesn’t matter the discipline – and they will be trained to use the equipment empowering hands-on experiential learning,” he stated.

Students will be able to explore, design, test, and build using a wide range of modern tools, including plastic and resin 3D printers, laser cutters, 3D scanners, mini CNC milling machines, advanced Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) software.

He added that the facility supports the University’s RESET strategy, which will redefine the institution’s role by prioritizing research, expanding access to STEM, student-centred excellence, entrepreneurial stability and technological innovation.

“We look forward to the ideas that will be imagined right here, the solutions that will also be built here, and the future that will be shaped here on campus,” Dr. Brown emphasised.

For his part, Ambassador Carney maintained that while the laboratory is one of many he has established at other international institutions, this one is more fulfilling as it is a direct investment into the future of his home country.

He expressed gratitude for the “opportunity to serve our children” by funding the laboratory in his role as an ambassador, tasked with driving Jamaica’s technological growth.