Call for Contributions

The Research Office is pleased to announce the 2023 PIURN (Pacific Islands Universities Regional Network) Call for Proposals.  

Aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, PIURN Call for Proposals should also be linked with the University of the South Pacific (USP) Strategic Research Themes, namely:

1.       Sustainable, Inclusive and Equitable Economies.

2.       Oceans, Ecosystems, and Climate Resilience.

3.       Education, Culture, Health, and Wellbeing.

4.       Governance, Justice, and Equality.

5.       Innovation, Empowerment, and Sustainability – cross-cutting theme

Eligibility

1.      Any research-active staff (meeting QoR at his/her level) of USP can apply as Principal Investigator if at least one year of the contract remains; and

2.      The man-months of research workload for each team member of the project should be indicated in the final full proposal.

3.      The early career researchers (Ph.D. within FIVE years) are encouraged to take the role of lead researcher and such projects will be given a preference.

4.      The lead applicant should be USP

5.      The project has to partner with at least one PIURN Member Universities:

–        University of New Caledonia

–        Christ University in Pacific (Tonga)

–        Divine Word University (PNG)

–        Fiji National University (Fiji)

–        National University of Samoa (Samoa)

–        National University of Vanuatu (Vanuatu)

–        Pacific Adventist University (PNG)

–        University of Fiji (Fiji)

–        The University of French Polynesia (French Polynesia)

–        The Papua New Guinea University of Natural Resources and Environment (PNG)

–        The Papua New Guinea University of Technology (PNG)

–        The University of Goroka (PNG)

–        The University of Papua New Guinea (PNG)

–        Solomon Islands National University (Solomon Islands)

6.      The total amount requested for the project cannot exceed 30 000 FJD

7.      External partners are welcomed to join (research institutes, non PIURN Universities, NGOs).

8.      Proposal can have potential or existing co-funders (cash, in-kind support….) – PIURN Member Universities can propose matching-funds.

9.      Time frame should not exceed 24 months

 The Principal Investigator can include Graduate Assistants, and Master’s and Ph.D. students in the PIURN project provided their research statements are relevant to the PIURN, but no scholarships will be provided.

Application Process

Applicants are invited to fill in the Project Proposal Template

Proposal Selection Criteria and Budget

Projects are budgeted for up to FJD$30K and must have a detailed explanation of the budget. 

The longer-term outputs might be quality publications, wider societal impact, and evolution to sustainable funding will also be considered.

Application Deadlines: Research Proposal

·       1^st December 2023: Closing date by 5 pm.

·       15^th December 2023: Selection of the projects by the Committee

·       15^th January 2024: PIs of successful proposals to be notified.

·       12^th February 2024 : Start of the project

The Research Proposals can be emailed to the PIURN Coordinator Mathilde Souchon mathilde.souchon@usp.ac.fj and SRT Assistant Letila Talemaitoga letila.talemaitoga@usp.ac.fj

For further information, please feel free to contact us and refer to the attached TORs.

All the best!