The Research & Innovation Office

The University’s partnership with New Zealand like Australia has been a long standing one since the start of the University. New Zealand was amongst the countries that had commissioned the establishment of the University in 1968. It has provided support towards the core budget of the University, which has enabled USP to position itself well to serve the Pacific region with ICT, research, education and regionalism becoming the transformative strategy for the University. The key achievements under each of the Priority Areas of the Strategic Plan has been made possible by the funding support from New Zealand, as their funds are allocated to all of the Priority Areas. They have been funding through partnership arrangements for 3 year duration since 2010 and currently working on the next one.

Some key project initiatives supported by New Zealand include:

1. The Pacific Regional Initiatives for the Delivery of Basic Education (PRIDE) in collaboration with the European Union;
2. Pacific Legal Information Institute (PacLII);
3. The establishment of the USPNet Satellite in 1998; and
4. Current upgrades to the USPNet Satellite project in the USP regional campuses.

Japan has been a generous and long-standing partner of the University in serving the Pacific region, mainly in the areas of ICT, marine, agriculture and research. The Government of Japan continues to support the University in the form of providing technical assistance in the areas of marine resources, ICT and other specific research thematic areas whereby the assistance of key experts under these different areas are funded under the JICA programme and these experts are seconded to the University for a period of one year.

Japan funded the construction of the Japan-Pacific ICT Centre and the Japan-Pacific Multi-Purpose Lecture Theatre at USP, which is the facility that houses the state-of-the-art laboratories for students and staff of the University. These facilities are essential in hosting conferences and exhibitions at the regional level in collaboration with development partners and the regional and international organisations.

Key initiatives of the University supported by Japan include:

1. ICT for Human Development and Human Security;
2. USPNet 2000 Funding model;
3. Ryoichi Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund;
4. Upgrading of Sustainable Agriculture in Gau Island Project;
5. Ku-band Deployment;
6. KIZUNA Project;
7. Japan-Pacific Youth Exchange Project;
8. Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (JENESYS) Projects for 2015 and 2016.

The University enjoys very collegial relationship with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and this is exemplified through the history of collaboration as natural partners for the development of the Pacific Islands through investments infrastructure and technical assistance grants for collaborative initiatives and research in areas such as climate change, renewable energy and economic modeling.

USP’s partnership with ADB started in 2009 when the Government of India provided the University a grant of USD 1 million through ADB for Regional Technical Assistance (RETA) on “The Creation of the Pacific Information Superhighway with The University of the South Pacific Network”. This project helped expand USP’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) network across its regional campuses through the installation of the i-Direct system. The Technical Assistance resulted in the development of a soft loan proposal to improve access to tertiary education in the Pacific through the development of new campuses in Kiribati and Solomon Islands and improved connectivity of regional campuses. A soft loan of USD 19m from ADB’s Multi-Tranche Financing Facility (MFF) for the Higher Education in the Pacific Investment Programme was approved in mid-2012 to support USP in enhancing access to higher education in its 12 member Pacific Island Countries by improving physical environment and learning programmes.

Tranche 1

Tranche 1 of the project financed the construction of a new 3-storey building (ground floor is open space as additional study area) for new USP Kiribati Campus. The USD 4.975m new Kiribati Campus was officially opened on 3 November 2015. This is a 1,764 square metre building (with an additional 882 square metres  open space  ground floor) commenced in late 2014, and was funded through an ADB soft loan.

The three storey building comprises four teaching rooms, lecture theatre, library, book shop, video-conference room, computer lab, science lab, an Atoll Research Centre, College of Foundation Studies and Student Academic Services offices, Flexible Learning room and staff offices in the top two floors. The ground floor can be used as an additional study space by students.

Tranche 2

An allocation of USD 15.4 million has been earmarked for the Tranche 2 through ADB soft loan which is for the construction of the new USP Solomon Islands campus. The construction of this new campus is envisaged to include modern teaching facilities, classrooms, an ICT studio, library, science laboratories, student cafeteria, medical center, dormitories, faculty offices, recreational areas and administrative facilities. At the end of July 2015, Solomon Islands Government (SIG) approved the leasing of a 14 acre block of land west of and adjacent to the KGVI School, some 7 kilometers east of Honiara (3 kilometers west of Honiara International Airport). The design of the Campus has been finalised by a USP-recruited architectural consultancy firm. Other related project preparatory works are currently underway and it is envisaged that the project will be completed by mid 2023.

The University and ADB signed a Cooperation Agreement to Strengthen Knowledge Collaboration in July 2017 that focusses in five key areas of interventions are: (i) the development of the new Solomon Islands Campus; (ii) renewable energy initiatives for the greening of USP’s campuses, including Vanuatu, Samoa, RMI, Kiribati, Tonga and Fiji; and (iii) strengthening knowledge collaboration primarily focussing on ADB’s potential contribution towards the University; (iv) the joint organisation of the Pacific Update Conference; (v) and strengthening research collaboration and intervention on economic policy issues through efficient support towards and effective operationalisation of USP’s Centre for Economic Modelling and Policy (CEPM).

The World Bank has assisted the University in strengthening the capacity of ICT regulatory institutions in the participating countries, and enhancing regional collaboration and knowledge sharing on ICT Regulatory issues. The World Bank has funded the Pacific Regional ICT Regulatory Development project (currently on-going) through an IDA regional grant of USD 4.5 million. This grant enables the University to meet the ICT needs of the region by facilitating the transfer of knowledge and technical capacity to and amongst the region’s emerging regulators, and to foster collaboration among these institutions.

This Project funds and assists USP in the following key initiatives:

1. Cooperation among regulators;
2. Training and capacity building activities;
3. Collecting, analysing and improving access to industry statistics and data; and
4. Regional advisory services, typically provided by specialists on issues with regional or multi-country spill over benefits.

The Government of United States of America (USA) has provided assistance to the University in the implementation of project initiatives that are closely linked to the priorities of the University’s Strategic Plan. For some of these assistance, the University has been subcontracted to undertake capacity and research related deliverables.

Key projects and initiatives of the University supported by USA are:

1. Pacific Islands Coastal Community Adaptation project;
2. Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping project;
3. Rapid Biodiversity Assessment of the Guadalcanal Watersheds project;
4. Development of the South Pacific Centre for Biodiversity Conservation and Drug Discovery (SPCBEDD) facility;
5. Developing Conservation Champions: Community-based Conservation Management Course;
6. Establishment of the Vanuatu Languages Resource Centre (VLRC) and an inaugural programme of language workshops ;
7. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Award;
8. Conservation of American Samoa-origin stock of green turtles in a ley foraging ground in Fiji;
9. Train-the-Trainer training class for Vocational Training and Education for Clean Energy (VOCTEC) selected regional training partners;
10. Climate Services Case Studies: Successes, Challenges and Ways Forward; and
11. Digital Journalism Training.

The Government of France has supported the University in areas such as research, language, marine biodiversity, environment, art, culture, sustainable development, climate change and renewable energy in the region. France has provided assistance for the establishment of USP’s Journalism Programme and currently supports the Faculty of Arts, Law and Education by providing a French language teacher to the Language Department, as well as being one of the main sponsors of the Oceania Centre for Arts, Culture and Pacific Studies (OCACPS).

The renewable energy projects funded by the French in the past have strengthened USP’s capacity to advance clean energy technologies and contribute towards the sustainable development choices of its member countries.

Specific projects and initiatives of the University funded by the Government of France include:

1. Valorization of proliferating marine biomass (seaweeds, crown-of-thorn starfish) to improve energy and food security of isolated Pacific communities project;
2. Design of a Renewable Energy source generator with a Flywheel Energy storage system for supplying energy in Pacific Islands Countries with weak grid (REFEPICS I/II) project;
3. “Weaving: As Common Pacific Language” symposium;
4. Banish the Fuel Lamp: Strategies for replacing kerosene/benzene by solar lights;
5. Connecting Moana: the common heritage of Pacific Islanders;
6. Sustainable energy for rural development;
7. Development of a Wind-solar Hybrid Renewable Energy System to make USP students fales truly “Green”;
8. Research on Community level intensive cage culture of shrimp in Fiji;
9. Waste Management project;
10. Expanding in Range and Depth the Network of Precise Temperature Measurements in Fijian Coral Reefs project;
11. Processing and monitoring of climate-change data for coral reefs of the Fiji Islands;
12. Study on urbanization in Fiji and French Polynesia; and
13. Research on human-induced pollution in estuaries.

The Government of India provided the University a grant of USD 1 million through ADB for Regional Technical Assistance (RETA) on “The Creation of the Pacific Information Superhighway with The University of the South Pacific Network”. This project helped expand USP’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) network across its regional campuses through the installation of the i-Direct system. The Technical Assistance resulted in the development of a soft loan proposal to improve access to tertiary education in the Pacific through the development of two new campuses in Kiribati and Solomon Islands and improved connectivity of regional campuses.

The Indian Universities and Institutes collaborated on USP’s initiative in the following areas:

1. Curriculum development, the exchange of Distance Flexible Learning (DFL) expertise, training of USP staff, and live delivery of courses;
2. Facilitate academic cooperation in the areas of joint research, policy dialogue, and publications for national, regional and international forum and capacity building;
3. Faculty exchanges, joint research, and assistance to USP in the area of economic modeling; and
4. Support towards the Hindi Language Programme.

People’s Republic of China has assisted USP with the establishment of the Confucius Institute at its main Laucala Campus, which was officially opened in Suva on 6 September 2012. The Confucius Institute at USP was established between USP and the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT). Since the establishment of the Confucius Institute at Laucala Campus, three other Confucius Classrooms have been opened in the Cook Islands, Lautoka and Emalus Campuses. The Chinese Embassy in Vanuatu donated office equipment, including two sets of desktops and air conditions valued to assist in improving the learning environment of the Confucius Classroom at the USP Emalus Campus.

The People’s Republic of China provided USD 1,775,994 in 2017 for extension of the Confucius Institute at Laucala Campus.

It has also supported the project for the establishment of the Francophonie Building at the University’s Emalus Campus, which was completed in 2013.

The Republic of Korea (RoK) has assisted USP in undertaking a comprehensive renewable energy capacity building initiative by providing grant for a project entitled ‘Renewable Energy Generation, Resource Assessment, and Capacity Building Programme for Sustainable Economic Development of the Pacific Island Countries’.

The Government of the Republic of Korea supported the University through the Grant Agreement for Seed Programme for Korean Studies to build and enhance its capacity to teach Korean content in an East Asian history course and courses in relevant disciplines. The funding is for the period 1 July 2014 till 30 June 2017, which is a critical incubation period to stimulate and retain students’ curiosity and interest in Korea to attract them to learn more about Korea at USP, initially at undergraduate level, with a view to extending it to the postgraduate level.

The following initiatives have been supported through Canadian based institutes and partners:

1. Support to the Pacific TAFE to facilitate the activities to implement the priority areas of the Pacific Centre for Flexible & Open Learning for Development (PACFOLD) Strategy;
2. Pacific Flexible TVET Workshop;
3. Capacity Building Workshop on Materials Development using Open and Distance Learning (ODL) and Open Educational Resources (OER); and
4. Delivery of Legislative Programme.

The United Kingdom (UK) has supported USP during its establishment in 1968. The Government of UK had supported USP at the beginning by providing a start-up funding of £1.25 million.

As part of the continuing support, many collaborations have taken place between USP and the Government of UK in the following areas:

1. Institutional Support (USP Inducement Scheme and manpower exchanges);
2. Staff development and student support (Undergraduate and Postgraduate Scholarships)
3. Outreach work for extension science teaching; and
4. Innovations fund and support for research work.

The United Nations (UN) has been assisting the University to promote sustainable development of the Pacific region as per the priorities under the USP Strategic Plan and the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF). The assistance from UN has enabled the University to contribute more effectively towards enhancement of the capacities of the Pacific Island countries to deal with development challenges. The University has collaborated with UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA and the ILO mainly in the area of youth empowerment, sanitation comprehensive sexual education, climate change, fisheries and research.

Some of the key initiatives and projects supported by UN are as follows:

1. Peer Programming; Condom Programming and  Youth Services; Comprehensive Sexuality           Education; and Population and Statistics courses;
2. Enhance the regional knowledge and promote dialogue on the important sustainable development issue of climate change induced migration, conduct qualitative and quantitative analysis and provide policy support;
3. Conservation of upper Ba Water Catchment  Areas;
4. Food & Agriculture Organisation, “Management of risk due to ciguatera toxin in fish from South Pacific Region;
5. World Health Organization, “Guppy Fish for Dengue Vector Control Project in Fiji”;
6. Implement a Millennium Atolls Programme (MAP) for Environment and Sustainable Development;
7. Research surveys, community consultations, data consolidation, institutional analysis, needs assessment and capacity development training and planning for the vulnerable communities in Fiji;
8. Qualitative research study on the use of a job aid and new (user-friendly) product presentation of Amoxicillin dispersible tablets for treatment of childhood Pneumonia; and
9. Design and delivery of an e-learning series on Climate Change and Pacific Islands.

Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China (ROC) has been providing assistance to USP since 1999, which mainly focused training in corporate governance and private sector development, food technology and climate change. Over the period of 2005 to 2006, Taiwan/ROC has offered scholarships in the Pacific through the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), which included 25 scholarships to USP students.

Key projects and initiatives of the University supported by Taiwan/ROC are:

1. Visiting scholars from Chinese Culture University (CCU);
2. Women in Post-Harvest Fisheries: Integrated Post-Harvest Fisheries Training and Capacity Building for Sustainable Livelihood Improvement, Food Security, and Poverty Alleviation in Pacific Islands Countries;
3. Digitization of the Pacific Music Archives (PMA) for Preservation Purposes;
4. Improving Access to Pacific Islands Marine Literature and Strengthening the Capacity of National Fisheries/Marine Sector Libraries and Information Centres;
5. Development of Rural School Solar Water Pumping Projects.;
6. Farm to Table: Celebrating Local Produce and Cuisine;
7. Pilot project to develop a sustainable model of tourism agriculture;
8. Study programme planned for joint research activities, seminars and academic meetings and special short-term academic programmes;
9. Installation of Electronic Library Security Systems at three USP Campus Libraries (Emalus, Tonga and Tuvalu Campuses);
10. Pacific Islands Spatial Vulnerability Reporting System as Policy Tool to enhance Climate Change Resilience and Adaptation Capacities of Coastal Communities in Fiji and the Solomon Islands;
11. Capacity Development for National Small Business Centres: Establishment of Pacific Business Mentoring System;
12. Development of a Community Scale Solar Water Pumping project; and
13. Assessment of Tidal Current Power Generation Potential in Fiji Islands and Design of a Tidal Current Turbine.