USP partners and begins work on Algorand Centre of Excellence on Sustainability Informatics for the Pacific (ACE-SIP).

The University of the South Pacific (USP) through its School of Information Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Physics (STEMP) has signed and formalized a partnership has signed a partnership with Monash University to create opportunities for students and begin work on the Algorand Centre of Excellence on Sustainability Informatics for the Pacific (ACE-SIP).

The ACE-SIP, funded by Algorand Foundation under the competitive Algorand Centres of Excellence (ACE) Program, is the only Australian ACE among the 10 winners in the world. It is a multi-university team advancing the state-of-the-art Algorand blockchain technology, the world’s most powerful and sustainable blockchain, from research and education to provide sustainability in the Pacific Region.

Led by Monash University in Australia, the team benefits from the expertise of researchers from other universities including USP, University of Queensland, University of Sydney, Swinburne University of Technology, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, University of Fiji, and two research institutes the Oceania Cyber Security Centre and the Climateworks Centre.

The ACE aims to make a global impact on sustainable development, particularly in the Pacific.

Monash University together with USP and the seven other higher education institutions will adopt an integrated approach focused on environmental sustainability (climate change, energy and water), governmental sustainability (protection, streamlined processes and waste reduction) and social and community sustainability (supply chains, real estate, Fintech and culture).

Their efforts will work on preserving natural resources and environmental quality, driving a more protected and optimised government model, and supporting the community socially, economically and culturally. Only in this holistic way can we deliver the outcomes and long-term viability we seek.

Representing USP, Professor Bibhya Sharma said, “this is a wonderful opportunity for our students and staff who will get the first-hand experience of blockchain technology and its possible applications in the Pacific.

“There will be extended dialogue and meetings with relevant stakeholders to garner what they wish to get from this innovative and very useful technology. Additionally there are multiple other activities that will be designed for our students and staff in this 5-year project. We are very happy to announce two such activities for starters,” added Professor Sharma.

Students keen to learn more about ACE can visit: http://ace-sip.org/

There are two new ACE-SIP events that are currently available for participation. We strongly encourage our USP students to make good use of these opportunities listed below:

ACE-SIP Blockchain Hackathon – https://www.monash.edu/it/events/2022/blockchain-hackathon.
ACE-SIP Summer School 2023 – https://acesummerschool.github.io/