PACE-Net Plus is a project funded by the European Commission that is aimed at strengthening Europe-Pacific bi-regional cooperation in ST&I. To work towards this objective PACE-Net Plus has, amongst other activities, established a working group to identify pathways to raise the profile of Pacific research in order to enable such a dialogue. The dialogue seeks to enhance the relative strengths of the parties and to utilise these for developing their respective societies.
There are many challenges in the culturally independent societies in the Pacific that can benefit from relevant community and national, as well as regionally coordinated, ST&I initiatives, for example in the fields of health, food security, environment, observation systems, etc. There are also many opportunities to enhance sustainable responses to climate change given the unique position the Pacific has at the forefront of environmental change. Its isolation also serves to shield it from global impacts and serves as a way of testing and developing strategies for communities in Europe.
Therefore, the project encourages the inclusion of ST&I in national development strategies and the coordination of regional research towards common research strategies and related policies and programmes in the Pacific region by promoting the implementation of joint actions, based on a proposed agenda.
This document addresses regional leadership (including parliaments, communities, elders and CROP agencies) to develop a regional vision for ST&I in the Pacific to enable them to define their joint future. This is a powerful tool for regional leadership to inform decision-making — that will impact on future generations — on national and regionally derived findings of scientific research. We invite the leadership to consider this document and adapt the ideas to their own circumstances, taking into account specific strengths and architectures of each community and nation.
