A major milestone for Caribbean digital development has emerged, as nearly three dozen individuals affiliated with the University of the West Indies (UWI) have been selected for the first-ever Resilient Global Digital Infrastructure (GDI) Fellowship. The achievement cements UWI’s growing reputation as a leading hub for digital innovation across the Caribbean region. Per an official press statement from the university, half of all Caribbean participants selected for the inaugural cohort have formal ties to UWI, a standout result drawn from a pool of hundreds of competitive regional applicants.
Breaking down the successful selections, 16 are currently part of the UWI community: 10 undergraduate students, three postgraduate students, and three faculty and staff members. An additional four UWI graduates also earned coveted spots in this globally recognized professional development program.
The Resilient GDI Fellowship is a collaborative initiative led by the SubOptic Foundation, in partnership with industry specialists and academic researchers from the University of California, Berkeley’s Global Digital Infrastructure program. Designed to bridge cross-sector knowledge gaps, the program brings together participants from a wide spectrum of academic and professional fields – including engineering, law, public policy, economics, media, and the social sciences. Over the course of the program, fellows will collaborate to explore frameworks for designing, governing, and reinforcing robust global digital infrastructure that meets long-term future needs.
A core mission of the initiative is to build specialized local expertise in strategically critical regions like the Caribbean, where consistent, resilient digital connectivity has become an increasingly indispensable asset for social and economic progress. Sandrea Maynard, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Global Affairs at UWI, emphasized the transformative role of digital infrastructure for the Caribbean.
“Digital infrastructure is foundational to the future of our region. It underpins teaching and learning, research, innovation, governance, resilience, and economic development,” Maynard said. “UWI’s strong representation in this fellowship reflects both the quality of our people and the importance of investing in the systems and skills that will shape the Caribbean’s digital future.”
Maynard added that the large contingent of UWI participants in the fellowship underscores the institution’s commitment to ensuring Caribbean voices, knowledge, and perspectives shape global conversations around digital infrastructure planning, digital sovereignty, and equitable sustainable development.
After engaging with prospective fellows across the Caribbean, Iago Bojczuk, a Research Associate at UC Berkeley, praised the high calibre of regional applicants selected for the cohort. “The enthusiasm and knowledge that the Fellows have brought to the programme so far speak to the immense potential that exists across the Caribbean region,” Bojczuk said. “Their diverse backgrounds and commitment to meaningful connectivity demonstrate what is possible when emerging leaders are empowered to shape the future of global digital infrastructure. Their engagement highlights that resilience must be grounded in equity and sustainability—central pillars of our Global Digital Infrastructure Certificate.”
Moving forward, the SubOptic Foundation and UC Berkeley GDI program team will guide participating fellows through a structured curriculum that combines targeted skills training, cross-regional collaborative projects, and hands-on applied research. The ultimate goal of the initiative is to strengthen the development of resilient, inclusive, future-ready digital infrastructure systems across the Caribbean and other strategically important regions. UWI closed its announcement by extending formal congratulations to all selected fellows and reaffirming its ongoing commitment to partnering with global institutions to advance Caribbean regional leadership in digital infrastructure, innovation, and technology development.