The University of the South Pacific (USP) and Shanghai Ocean University (SHOU) on Tuesday exchanged letters of intent which now paves the way for formal cooperation between the two institutions.
The delegation from SHOU was led by Professor Wan Rong, the President and Vice-Chairman of Shanghai Ocean University. The letters of intent exchanged between the two institutions will now see the development of a collaborative framework that will, among other activities, include the exchange of academic staff/faculty, mutual credit recognition for exchange students, joint research activities, participation in academic meetings, exchange of academic materials and other information pertaining to research and innovation.
Acting Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Gurmeet Singh, while welcoming the delegation from Shanghai Ocean University to USP Laucala Campus, Fiji, emphasised the importance of such cross-border collaborations that have great potential for uplifting the research and innovation profiles of both institutions while also contributing to national and regional development.
Professor Rong thanked USP for hosting the delegation and recognised that with the exchange of letters of intent, cooperation between the two institutions would deepen research across areas such as climate change, marine/fisheries, science and technology and food and agriculture.
“This partnership paves the way for high-level collaboration between us, and as a higher education institute, we deeply value the significance of collaborative research”, Professor Rong added.
About SHOU:
Shanghai Ocean University is a multidisciplinary, applied research university, co-established by the State Oceanic Administration, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government. In September 2017, it was elected into China’s World First-Class Disciplines Project. In February 2022, it was included on the list of the second round of “Double First-Class” universities and disciplines (i.e., world-class universities and first-class disciplines). The university was formerly known as Jiangsu Provincial Fisheries School, founded by Zhang Jian and Huang Yanpei in 1912. In 1952, it was upgraded to be the first undergraduate fisheries college, namely, Shanghai Fisheries College. In 2008, it was renamed Shanghai Ocean University.
About USP:
The University of the South Pacific (USP) was established in 1968 via a Royal Charter and is jointly owned and governed by 12 member Countries. Widely acknowledged to be one of the best examples of regional cooperation, USP is the region’s premiere territory education, training, research and policy institution. With a network of over 60,000 alumni, USP continues to address new and emerging opportunities and challenges in the region. Having served the region for more than five decades, USP is a source of immense pride for the region which has nurtured its development from simply being an autonomous university in the region to its current status as a world-class tertiary education provider, innovation & research institution, and development organisation designed to meet the needs and address the priorities of its Member Countries in a future-oriented manner that values and celebrates Pacific history, cultures and the natural environment.
