As part of the Family Farming, Lifestyle and Health (FALAH) project and their secondment to France, the USP team comprising Dr Hilda Waqa-Sakiti (USP FALAH Project Coordinator), Filipe Veisa, PhD Students and Mathilde Souchon (PIURN Coordinator) had the opportunity to meet with the International Science Council (ISC) team at the ISC headquarters in Paris earlier this month.
Dr Helene Jacot des Combes, former USP staff and project manager at ISC, Alison Metson, Communications Director, Zhenya Tsoy, Senior Communication Officer and James Waddell, Science and Communication Officer, welcomed the USP delegation. They discussed their respective projects and research interests, including climate change and traditional knowledge.
The participants also highlighted the importance of the implantation of the future Pacific Islands Academy of Science and Humanities, to be based in Samoa and supported by the ISC. The Pacific Academy will promote scientific excellence in the region and encourage young researchers from the region and strengthen scientific collaborations.
This meeting allowed the team to also explore possible cooperation between the institutions, to identify gaps for future projects and to strengthen the ties between networks focused on research and scientific expertise.
The FALAH Project falls under the European Commission Horizon 2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions and Research and Innovation Staff Exchange – RISE, and 1.3 million euros were awarded to the consortium members of the project. A special acknowledgement to the AUF NERE NAHAL project, under which USP is leading Developing Resilience through Capacity Development on FALAH in PICs (DeResCap).
