Dart to build $32M STEM facility in Camana Bay

A $32.4 million facility dedicated to teaching science, technology, engineering and mathematics, known collectively as STEM, has been given planning permission in Camana Bay.

The three-storey STEM centre, to be built by Dart and the Kenneth B. Dart Foundation, will be the first physical site for Dart’s Minds Inspired programme, which provides Cayman’s young people with diverse STEM learning experiences.

The 42,280-square-foot facility will be located on Athena Way in the vicinity of Cayman International School and the Camana Bay Sports Complex and will feature a robotics laboratory and flexible spaces designed for learning across STEM disciplines. Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2026 with completion by 2028.

Robotics success

The news comes just days after the Cayman Islands National Robotics Team won gold at the FIRST Global Challenge in South Korea for its innovative landfill fire-detection prototype and shared bronze in the main robotics competition against a field of 185 countries.

“The STEM facility at Camana Bay is not just the physical manifestation of four decades of STEM funding and programmes, it’s a national resource for every student across Cayman,” said Jackie Doak, director for Dart, the Dart Foundation and the Kenneth B. Dart Foundation. “Our goal is that with access to world class facilities, equipment and STEM leaders, Cayman’s creative and analytical thinkers will discover that their capacity to strengthen Cayman’s future may well be limitless.”

The STEM centre will support all students in the Cayman Islands through programmes created and operated by Dart’s Minds Inspired. Led by Glenda McTaggart since 2012, Minds Inspired has played a leading role in developing and promoting robotics in local government and private schools. Inter-school robotics competitions have been held annually since 2019, with students also competing for spots on the national team.

“Cayman’s robotics students have already shown the world what they are capable of. A dedicated STEM facility will help us turn that success into something even bigger, creating opportunities for more young Caymanians to innovate, collaborate and develop the skills our country will need for the future,” said McTaggart, Dart’s senior manager of education programmes.

The STEM centre will be located at the southern end of the Cayman International School campus and its students in elementary and middle school will be able to study their STEM curriculum in some of the centre’s purpose-designed spaces. The facilities will include science and robotics laboratories, along with flexible spaces for hands-on learning, interactive experiences, presentations and community engagement.

Spark curiosity

“This new centre will be an inspiring and hands-on environment for students – a place to experiment, push their critical thinking and problem-solving skills and learn how science, technology, engineering and math disciplines come together for practical real-world application,” said Gary Gibbs, executive vice president for development at Dart. “We’re excited to create a facility that supports that kind of dynamic learning that can spark curiosity and inspire the next generation of innovators.”

Gibbs said the design has been shaped around flexibility and collaboration, with adaptable environments that encourage exploration and experimentation across disciplines.

“The aim is to create a building that not only supports how students learn today but can evolve with new technologies and approaches to education,” he said.

For more than 40 years, the Dart family and companies have supported STEM education and workforce development initiatives. The Dart Foundation, which was established in 1984 by William A. and Claire T. Dart, has committed more than 30% of its resources to STEM programmes since its inception. This legacy has extended in Cayman with the development of Cayman International School, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

Editor’s Note: The Cayman Compass is a subsidiary of Dart Media and Entertainment.”