November 2012


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Universities from Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP) involved in various Intra-ACP academic mobility schemes – projects which seek to promote sustainable development in the ACP regions – took part in the 2012 Intra-ACP Coordinators’ Meeting at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, in October. As the coordinating institution for the Caribbean-Pacific Island Mobility Scheme (CARPIMS), The UWI was thrust into the spotlight for its role in successfully managing the largest South-South academic mobility program ever funded by the European Commission.

CARPIMS came to fruition in 2011 when the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) called for Caribbean and Pacific academic mobility projects. The UWI was successful in its proposal and in 2012 the inaugural CARPIMS consortium convened. This consortium includes several Caribbean and Pacific Partner Universities, including the University of the South Pacific, University of Papua New Guinea, National University of Samoa, Universidade da Paz Timor Leste, University of Guyana, University of Belize and Universite D’Etat D’Haiti. CARPIMS also benefits from a Technical Partnership with the University of Porto (Uporto), and an Associate Partnership with the Association of Universities and Research Institutions of the Caribbean (UNICA).

The CARPIMS programme was born from the realization that increased cooperation between Caribbean and South Pacific higher education institutions could lead to the resolution of common developmental issues faced by Small Island Developing States. CARPIMS has now created an invaluable platform for advancing institutional capacity, with 41 postgraduate and 16 staff mobilities being awarded in its first cohort. The programme is spearheaded by the OIAI at St. Augustine, which is an amalgamation of the International Office, the Alumni Affairs and Fundraising Office and two new departments, Commercialisation and Institutional Development Projects.

Speakers at the meeting included the EACEA’s Joachim Fronia, Dr Berene Kramer of the European Union and Dr John Kakule, ACP Secretariat. The UWI was represented by Sharan Singh, Director of the Office of Institutional Advancement and Internationalisation (OIAI) and CARPIMS Project Leader, Miguel Dindial, CARPIMS Coordinator.

CARPIMS was the focus of the meeting’s presentation on technical partnership and sustainability, which was conducted by Mr Singh, and illustrated how the partnership between The UWI and UPorto (Coordinators of the Mundus ACP programme) has ensured the success of CARPIMS through the sharing of best practices and technical training. Singh also detailed the consortium’s focus on securing the sustainability of CARPIMS via measures such as the creation of guidelines for mobility management, institutional research and development collaborations, the creation of an online CARPIMS course, and promotion at international conferences.

At the meeting, the CARPIMS team was asked to provide technical counsel to several African consortiums and shared their expertise on mobility management, partner relations and measures to promote project sustainability. The team also met with the ACP Secretariat and members of the European Union, where they discussed practical issues affecting Caribbean and Pacific Higher Education and the Intra-ACP scheme. With the opening of a new call for applications in December 2012, CARPIMS is poised to transform the landscape of regional education as it redefines the sphere of international academic cooperation.

The new call for CARPIMS Scholarship Applications opens in December 2012. For more information log on to http://www2.sta.uwi.edu/carpims or contact the CARPIMS Coordinators at carpims@sta.uwi.edu