A two-week technical knowledge exchange between Cuba’s National Seismic Research Institute (CENAIS) and The University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre (UWI-SRC) will take place from 18–30 May 2026 at the UWI-SRC headquarters in St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.

The activity forms part of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Seismic Risk Management Project funded by the European Union under the HIP ECHO programme. While the project is primarily implemented in Cuba, it also supports South–South Cooperation initiatives aimed at strengthening regional resilience by sharing technical expertise, tools, and best practices among Caribbean institutions.

The exchange builds on discussions initiated during the 13th Caribbean Conference on Comprehensive Disaster Management held in December 2024, which brought together representatives from the Cuban National Civil Defense, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), and the Ministry of Civil Defence of Trinidad and Tobago. Those discussions were further advanced through a series of planning engagements conducted both in person in Havana in June 2025 and virtually among participating institutions.

The technical exchange between CENAIS and UWI-SRC represents an important step toward strengthening regional collaboration in seismic monitoring and disaster risk management across the Caribbean. Approximately 16 participants from various departments of the UWI Seismic Research Centre and the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) are expected to participate in the sessions.

A key focus of the exchange will be the introduction and contextualization of SeisComP (Seismological Communication Processor), an open-source software platform used globally for real-time seismic data acquisition, processing, interactive analysis, and information distribution within national and regional monitoring systems. Participants will engage in practical technical discussions and knowledge-sharing sessions designed to enhance operational capacity and support improved regional coordination in seismic monitoring.

Beyond the technical training component, the initiative also seeks to deepen institutional partnerships between two leading organizations in seismic research and monitoring in the Caribbean region. By fostering sustained collaboration and the exchange of expertise, the activity contributes to broader regional efforts to strengthen preparedness, improve risk-informed decision-making, and enhance resilience to seismic hazards.

The initiative reflects the continued importance of regional cooperation and knowledge-sharing in addressing complex disaster risk challenges facing Small Island Developing States (SIDS) across the Caribbean.