The University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine Campus, has received a CAD$100,000 grant from Scotiabank’s Climate Action Research Fund to support a green hydrogen research project aimed at helping decarbonise Trinidad and Tobago’s petrochemical sector. The funding was announced on April 21, 2026.
The grant will support the H2-TTransform: SOEC Pilot for Petrochemical Decarbonization Project, which is focused on advancing the use of solid oxide electrolysis cell, or SOEC, technology. According to UWI, the project is intended to strengthen local research capacity while exploring how green hydrogen could be applied in one of the country’s most emissions-intensive industrial segments.
UWI said the funding will be used to install a lab-scale 4kW SOEC demonstrator at the university’s Thermodynamics Laboratory. The demonstrator is expected to help researchers establish parameters for a larger industrial-scale pilot, develop local technical expertise and provide a practical platform for engagement with industry stakeholders.
The project is being carried out in collaboration with Niterra Co. Ltd. and Kenesjay Green Limited, combining academic research with private-sector participation. UWI described the initiative as an effort to position the campus as a regional player in green hydrogen research and innovation.
In comments included in the release, UWI St Augustine Principal Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine said the partnership reflects the university’s view that research should help shape industries, inform policy and support sustainable development pathways for the region. Scotiabank Trinidad and Tobago Managing Director Gayle Pazos said the bank was supporting research that explores practical responses to climate-related challenges.
Scotiabank said its Climate Action Research Fund was established in 2021 and distributes about CAD$1 million annually to organisations conducting climate-related research and related decarbonisation initiatives. The bank said the wider programme forms part of a commitment to distribute $25 million in community investments by 2030 to support climate-related systems change and sector decarbonisation.