Project DIREKT - An Exciting, New ACP/EU - Funded Renewable Energy Project
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Fiji and the 12 USP member countries are to benefit from a new 1.2 million Euro Renewable Energy project, funded by the ACP-EU. Launched in early January in Hamburg, Germany, the main objective of this project, (dubbed the “Small Developing Island Renewable Energy Knowledge and Technology Transfer Network”, or Project DIREKT for short), is to strengthen the internal science and technology of developing small island states of the ACP region, with a focus on renewable energy. It will also foster sustainable cooperation between the science and technology communities of ACP and EU institutions in the key area of Renewable Energy.
The four-member consortium of ACP-EU nations participating in the project are represented by the University of West Indies, the University of Mauritius and the University of the South Pacific, with the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences providing the project leadership.
The three-year project is divided into six work packages (WPs), with USP being charged with WP2. This consists of the all-important needs analysis of the market-oriented research and technology transfer and capacity-building requirements for the ACP regions. Apart from an analysis of the political and institutional frameworks and research policies for renewable energy in the partner countries, this work package will carry out the very important tasks of surveying the innovation and training needs of the business sector in the field of renewable energy, and the ability of universities and other tertiary institutions to provide the relevant training to improve this capacity.
The project will bring direct benefit to some 150 businesses and the same number of academic staff in the ACP regions represented by the partner countries. This will be mainly in the form of research and technology transfer, capacity building and the establishment of long-term science and technology networks among ACP-EU countries.
A notable feature of the project will be the establishment of Research and Technology Transfer Centres within each of the partner countries. These centres will be venues for businesses, government bodies and academia to meet and exchange knowledge, information and know-how on the assessment, production and utilisation of renewable energy in the region.
The expected beneficiaries in Fiji are the Fiji Department of Energy and other government departments, USP, FNU and other tertiary institutions offering training in renewable energy, small businesses involved in the wholesaling, retailing and the installation/service areas of renewable energy, and the power utilities including the FEA and the Independent Power Producers. The whole of the USP region will benefit similarly through the use of USP’s extensive USPNet that the university regularly uses for intra-regional education and communication. A workshop will be organized in Suva to assess the specific needs of the business and publics sectors in individual member countries for research and technology transfer in renewable energy.
Two important early milestones of the project will include the establishment of a project office and the completion of the needs analysis. As a part of the project, USP will be hosting at least one major international and several national and regional conferences on renewable energy.
For more information, please contact Dr. Anirudh Singh (Project Coordinator), ph 3232437, email singh_ag@usp.ac.fj; Or Pritika (Project Manager), ph 3232822, email pritika_priti@yahoo.com
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