The University of the West Indies (UWI) is set to make history with the launch of its first-ever International Undergraduate Student Leadership Conference and Entrepreneurship Exhibition (IUSLCEE), scheduled for September 23–25, 2026. According to Antigua News Room, the event will be held at The UWI Regional Headquarters in Jamaica and is organised by the Office of the Board for Undergraduate Studies. Registration and submissions are now open.
The conference will operate under the theme "Today's Students, Tomorrow's World, Towards 2050: Imagining Roles, Rights, Responsibilities and Relationships" and will be delivered in a hybrid format, accommodating both in-person attendees in Jamaica and virtual participants from around the globe.
Designed to foster global citizenship, student activism, and leadership development, the IUSLCEE will bring together undergraduates from diverse fields to present research, launch entrepreneurial ventures, and exchange ideas aimed at creating meaningful change.
"Opportunities for undergraduates to share academic insights and ventures are often limited to the classroom. This conference changes that, centring student voice and building bridges to graduate studies, industry, and community," said Pro Vice-Chancellor for Undergraduate Studies and Conference Chairman, Professor Canute Thompson.
The programme will feature student-led sessions, entrepreneurship showcases, mentorship opportunities, and panel discussions bridging academia, industry, and community. Students may participate as presenters, attendees, or volunteers, both onsite and online. Organisers are targeting a minimum of 200 participants and 30 student academic presentations, drawing attendees from the Caribbean, Latin America, the United States, Canada, and Europe.
Calls are currently open for research and scholarly paper submissions as well as entrepreneurship exhibition proposals. Submissions must include an abstract of up to 300 words outlining the research topic, objectives, methodology, and key findings or proposed venture. Suggested topics include innovation for sustainable development, digital transformation, social entrepreneurship, student leadership, and community impact. The submission deadline is September 3, 2026.
Conference registration is open via the online form at bit.ly/43FiYSX. For further information, contact Ms Karen Smith, Chair of the Conference Secretariat, at [email protected], by telephone at 876-970-0244, or through the conference website at https://www.uwi.edu/obus/iuslc.
The UWI has been a cornerstone of Caribbean development for over 75 years. Established in 1948 as a university college of London in Jamaica with just 33 medical students, the institution has grown into a globally respected university serving nearly 50,000 students across five campuses — Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda, and its Global Campus — as well as international centres across North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe.
The UWI offers more than 1,000 certificate, diploma, undergraduate, and postgraduate degree programmes spanning disciplines including law, medicine, engineering, social sciences, and the arts. It has been included in the Times Higher Education annual rankings since 2018 and remains the only English-speaking Caribbean institution featured across four of THE's prestigious ranking lists. The university also hosts the International School for Development Justice, a global online graduate business school focused on sustainable development leadership.
