French Research Institutions Join Forces With USP
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Pacific-based French scientific, higher education and research organizations have vowed to strengthen ties with their English-speaking counterparts, mainly the Fiji-based University of the South Pacific (USP), as a result of a first of its kind meeting held last week in the
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The one-day seminar, which took place at the USP last week, aimed at defining a 3-year action plan to enhance scientific cooperation between the USP and France, through its overseas Pacific territories (
Parties also worked to identify appropriate tools to support the new strategy.
Speaking at the opening of the conference, Suva-based French Ambassador Jean-François Bouffandeau called on participants to work toward the creation of what he termed "an integrated and unified Pacific area" in terms of scientific and higher education research, which would involve both French-speaking and English-speaking components.
"I now hold the strong belief that the ability from
"This pooling of resource, above all, is a matter of knowledge. And it relies on this region's inhabitant’s capacity to know and understand each other, share their knowledge and their experiences. The responsibility for these future exchanges is largely yours," he said.
While saying the French government stood ready to help in this process, the French envoy also wished "other big partner countries in the region" would later join in. Among key areas of future cooperation between the Pacific scientific and research institutions, Bouffandeau cited global warming, a fair and balanced economic development and upholding and promoting democracy and human rights.
USP Acting Vice-Chancellor Esther Williams, during the meeting, acknowledged France's "significant role" in its exchanges with USP as a regional institution, and underlined there was room for stronger "strategic partnerships" with French Pacific institutions.
One way of strengthening these ties, the meeting resolved, was to set up a new French-funded scholarship, to be named after French 18th century voyager La Pérouse. The new fund was likely to get financial support from the French government, via its Embassy in
Both universities of
Further meeting are scheduled in order to fine-tune cooperation targets and a three-year action plan, especially in the fields of biodiversity, environment, cultural and social heritage, said Pascal Dayez-Burgeon, cultural attaché at the Fiji-based French embassy, which coordinated the meeting.
It was also agreed that information tools, such as Internet websites and a regular newsletter, were to be developed to foster more regular exchanges (including on the students side) and information exchange and networking.
