Regional Fellowship initiative targets Caribbean talent in digital infrastructure development

A delegation from the SubOptic Foundation, which includes industry experts and researchers from the Global Digital Infrastructure (GDI) team at the University of California, Berkeley, is currently visiting The University of the West Indies (The UWI) to recruit regional talent for the Resilient Global Digital Infrastructure Fellowship.

A UWI media release shared that there are plans to host an information session at the UWI Global Campus in Dominica on April 21 at 5 PM.

The delegation has already been meeting with stakeholders across Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados.

The write-up announced that through this initiative, the team aims to identify more than 40 students and early-career professionals from across the Caribbean to join the programme, which focuses on building skills, leadership, and long-term resilience in digital infrastructure.

According to UWI, this visit reflects a growing partnership between academia and industry, aimed at strengthening understanding of the systems that support the internet. These include subsea cables, land-based networks, Internet Exchange Points (IXPs), data centres, and the policies that guide them. Working closely with UWI campuses, the team is reportedly engaging students from a wide range of disciplines such as engineering, law, and business, as part of a broader outreach effort that will continue throughout the year.

The Resilient Global Digital Infrastructure Fellowship is supported by funding from the Internet Society Foundation and is being delivered in collaboration with regional partners such as CANTO, the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), local Internet Society chapters, universities, and private sector organisations.

In the programme, 40 participants will be brought together for a structured learning experience that combines technical knowledge with real-world insights. UWI says that participants will benefit from mentorship, guest lectures by industry leaders, and opportunities to work together on solutions tailored to Caribbean needs.

Speaking on the initiative, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Global Affairs at The UWI, Sandrea Maynard, remarked that the partnership highlights the university’s commitment to building regional expertise in digital infrastructure.

“The Global Digital Infrastructure Fellowship creates valuable pathways for UWI talent to engage globally while ensuring that Caribbean perspectives help shape the systems that underpin our digital future,” leveraged Maynard.

Professor Nicole Starosielski of UC Berkeley also emphasized that the Caribbean has an important role to play, noting that building strong digital infrastructure depends not only on technology, but also on local knowledge, education, and collaboration.

In its current phase, the school reports this that his project builds on earlier research that examined digital infrastructure resilience across the Caribbean, including insights from multiple islands and over 70 regional stakeholders.

That work highlighted the need for a more connected, regional approach that brings together technology, energy systems, policy, and community engagement. Now, the focus is on turning those findings into action through training and partnerships.

Applications for the fellowship are open until May 1, 2026, and are available to both students and professionals from a wide range of backgrounds, with no prior technical experience required.