Antigua and Barbuda is among four Caribbean countries whose nationals have been awarded new CCRIF SPC scholarships to pursue studies aimed at strengthening the region’s ability to prepare for natural disasters and climate change.
CCRIF announced Thursday that it awarded 10 scholarships worth US$112,000 for the 2026-27 academic year. Recipients are from Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The announcement did not identify the recipients from Antigua and Barbuda or specify their courses of study.
Nine scholarships will support students at the University of the West Indies, while one will fund postgraduate study at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom.
The awards cover climate science, meteorology, natural resource management, geoinformatics, geology and engineering.
Five postgraduate students at UWI’s Cave Hill and St. Augustine campuses will each receive scholarships valued at up to US$11,000, representing a total investment of US$55,000.
Four undergraduate students entering their second year at UWI will each receive US$8,000, split equally between their second and third years. Their programmes include geomatics engineering, disaster risk resilience, environmental and natural resource management, geology and civil engineering.
Jamaican Akeem Dawes received a US$25,000 scholarship to pursue a master’s degree in applied meteorology and climate with management at the University of Reading through CCRIF’s partnership with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology.
He is required to return to the institute for at least three years after completing his studies.
CCRIF Chief Executive Officer Isaac Anthony said the scholarships would help develop expertise needed across the region.
“Every scholarship we award is an investment in the region’s ability to understand, prepare for and recover from natural hazards and climate change,” Anthony said.
Since 2010, CCRIF has awarded more than 200 scholarships worth over US$2.2 million to Caribbean students. These include 178 undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships at UWI, valued at US$1.3 million.
Scholarship funds are paid directly to universities to cover tuition and related fees, with any remaining balance provided to students as a stipend.
CCRIF, formerly the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility, provides disaster insurance to governments, utilities and other organisations across the Caribbean and Central America.
This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Antigua and Barbuda among countries benefiting from US$112,000 in CCRIF scholarships.