The research and innovation landscape of the Pacific is extremely diverse, ranging from Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) with little or no ST&I capacity, Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) with strong capacities, to New Zealand and Australia, which have numerous networks of research and innovation institutions.
The European Union (EU), which maintains a long standing relationship with the Pacific, aims for enhancing its profile and reinforcing cooperation in ST&I with the region, in the perspective of the forthcoming Horizon 2020 programme, and promote the development of mutually beneficial partnerships.
Considering the results of past and ongoing initiatives supporting the EU-Pacific ST&I cooperation, PACE-Net Plus will:
- Support the EU-Pacific policy dialogue in ST&I, including dialogue on innovation issues.
- Reinforce the EU-Pacific ST&I cooperation, focusing on 3 major societal challenges:
- Health, demographic change and well-being;
- Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine and maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy; and
- Climate action, environment, resource efficiency and raw materials.
- Encourage the coordination between the EU and Member States ST&I programmes and policies targeting the Pacific by promoting the implementation of joint actions.
- Enhance the cooperation on innovation issues, by helping in bridging the gap between public and private sectors. The project will promote the idea of innovation as an essential mean for tackling global challenges and will respond to the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy and its Innovation Union Flagship initiative.
- Strengthen the Pacific-EU research cooperation partnerships, through the promotion of EC’s, Member States’ and Associated Countries’ programmes, especially Horizon 2020, among the Pacific research community, as well as the Pacific opportunities for European researchers.
