Business Barbados 2022

The Bloom Cleantech Cluster Set-up in Barbados. Bloom Cluster is an entrepreneurial cluster where the key actors are entrepreneurs. At the moment Bloom has about 20 members from the public and private sector, including 11 start-ups, the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry, University of West Indies, Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute, and from ministries such as MIBI, MoENB, MoESB, and the Ministry of Science, Innovation and New Technology. Figure 2 The five pillars for an innovation ecosystem. Bloom Cluster is based on a pentagon model where the promotion of entrepreneurship and access to private capital is crucial in our work. Contact information: Mr. Mark Hill, CEO Export Barbados mhill@bidc.org The Bloom Cleantech Cluster project also aims to support the Government of Barbados in the promotion of cleantech policy instruments, incentives and regulations for the cleantech supply side sector and to strengthen the country´s cleantech and renewable energy quality infrastructure in testing, certification and quality assurance. In fostering this effort, Cluster has recruited international consultants that are helping us to strengthen cleantech policy and quality framework in Barbados. UNIDO´s role and services in Barbados are illustrated in the following diagram. UNIDO´s role is mainly focused on improving the innovation ecosystem through strengthening institutional capacity of Export Barbados and GoB to provide high quality business support services for the tech entrepreneurs and start-ups, such as business planning assistance, access to financing, promoting investment & quality infrastructure, matchmaking, international networking and coaching. Figure 1. UNIDO´s services for developing start-up ecosystem in Barbados. UNIDO/ Bloom Cleantech Incubation programme and UNDP´s Small Grants Programme in 2020-2021. https://sgp.undp.org/spacial-itemid- projects-landing-page/spacial- itemid-project-search-results/ spacial-itemid-project-detailpage. html?view=projectdetail&id=29793 Red Diamond Compost Joshua Forte is a sustainable environmental management practitioner and the founder and CEO of Red Diamond Compost Inc, a biotech social enterprise that focuses on research, development, and commercialization of clean and green agrochemical solutions. Red Diamond solutions are made from organic waste and invasive plants. The chemicals support fragile soil organisms responsible for building soil structure, storing carbon, cycling nutrients to plants, and protecting pollinating insects. The company has won several international awards, including the British Commonwealth Innovation award in 2021; and the Caribbean Innovation Competition (CIC) award 2020, out of 2,085 applicants. https://gisbarbados.gov.bb/blog/bidc- congratulates-red-diamond-compost/ https://www.thecommonwealth.io/award- winner/red-diamond-compost-inc/ Above: Simera Crawford Above: Joshua Forte www.bloomcluster.com Mr. Jari Aaltonen Cluster Manager j.aaltonen@unido.org 65 BUSINESS BARBADOS 2022 T H E B L O O M C L E A N T E C H C L U S T E R