News Releases

Global Microsoft recognition for UWI/ Teleios Collaboration

For Release Upon Receipt - June 5, 2014

St. Augustine


ST. AUGUSTINE, Trinidad and Tobago – Collaboration between The University of the West Indies (UWI) St. Augustine and external stakeholders has once again received global recognition.  The Teleios Code Jam, a local software programming competition, has won the prestigious YouthSpark Citizenship Partner of the Year Award for the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) in July 2014. The winning team was recognized for its “determination to change Trinidad and Tobago national culture around software development” and for having “exposed university students to real-world, team-based, collaborative software development and sparked excitement around building solutions and innovation.” The initiative was praised for bringing together students, academia and industry to create solutions to real-world problems.  

The Code Jam is the brainchild of Dr. Kim Mallalieu, Senior Lecturer and Leader of the Communication Systems Group at The UWI, and Teleios Systems Ltd. It was first held as a part of the Caribbean Internet Forum hosted by The UWI and subsequently by Teleios Systems Limited with support from several local partners. The UWI has remained actively involved in this annual event under the leadership of Dr. Akash Pooransingh of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Mr. Kyle DeFreitas of the Department of Computing and Information Technology.   

The determination to build a national culture of creativity, innovation, productivity and excellence around software development is a vision shared by Teleios and UWI teams. While Teleios has been an exemplary private sector partner, The UWI has engaged with other industry partners and those from the public and civil sectors, as well as academia and international developmental agencies, to build capacity and to catalyse the development of software to meet local, regional and global demands. Through such collaborations, students in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering undertake real world projects with industry mentors as part of the standard curriculum. Amongst the Department’s many collaborative initiatives to nurture young developers and entrepreneurs at home and abroad are an annual multi-country Open Data Code Sprint and Startup Weekend Trinidad and Tobago. Along the way, recognition has been received through institutional, national, regional and international awards for innovation, research and capacity building.   

The UWI recognizes that the development of a culture of innovation is a long term proposition. It is thrilled to see progress in the first phase of the journey: the excitement and engagement of young software developers to turn their craft to solutions that are relevant to local and regional needs, with the potential to scale globally. Progress has already started in the second phase of the journey: to take products to market; and to scale those products to other countries.  

UWI’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering will continue to rely on its web of enduring partners with whom it is committed to create shared value with a focus on national development. Teleios stands tall amongst these, and UWI extends heartfelt congratulations to entire Code Jam team and participants for this global recognition.    

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About Teleios Code Jam

The Teleios Code Jam is a software development competition for students and is an initiative designed to raise awareness about some of the key concerns involved in developing professional software solutions. More: http://codejam.teleios-systems.com/  

About the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC)

The Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) is an annual, global convergence of Microsoft’s top partners. It’s where we come together to network, drive business growth and identify new profitability opportunities. This year at WPC, we will continue to focus on key trends that represent the most profitable models for partners. We are introducing a simplified content experience for you; we have reduced our amount of tracks to 5 major focus areas – Cloud, Big Data, Mobility & Devices, Enterprise Social, and Leadership, Sales & Marketing. More: http://www.digitalwpc.com  

About The UWI

Since its inception in 1948, The University of the West Indies (UWI) has evolved from a fledgling college in Jamaica with 33 students to a full-fledged, regional University with well over 40,000 students. Today, UWI is the largest, most longstanding higher education provider in the Commonwealth Caribbean, with four campuses in Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Open Campus. The UWI has faculty and students from more than 40 countries and collaborative links with 160 universities globally; it offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food & Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology and Social Sciences. UWI’s seven priority focal areas are linked closely to the priorities identified by CARICOM and take into account such over-arching areas of concern to the region as environmental issues, health and wellness, gender equity and the critical importance of innovation. Website: www.uwi.edu 

(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.)  

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