PNGUoT to Host Pacific Regional Universities Conference
The Papua New Guinea University of Technology (PNGUoT) will be hosting the 6th Biannual Pacific Islands Universities Regional Network (PIURN) Conference from the 1st to the 3rd of July.
Vice Chancellor Professor Ora Renagi said it is an exciting opportunity for staff and students to participate in this regional conference, as the objective is to build up research capacity within the region, allowing governments and industry to consult universities as the knowledge hub.
“It is exciting. The subjects will be around advancing technology to improve, impact livelihoods.”
I would like all of my staff and students to participate at the level of international participation so they are exposed to the expectations of the standards of research that they conduct overseas so we also improve our research capacity to international standards.”
PIURN Coordinator Ms. Mathilde Souchon, who recently visited PNGUoT, stated that they are excited to bring the 6th conference to PNG, specifically to Lae, Morobe Province.
“We are really happy to have the 6th PIURN conference at the Papua New Guinea University of Technology. This is going to be the first PIURN conference held in PNG, and we are very excited to bring all the member universities over to Lae,” she said.
The theme for this conference is “Harnessing Technologies for the Safe and Sustainable Development of the Pacific.” It aims to explore the implications of new technologies for the region, as well as the uses of traditional knowledge in developing solutions for the challenges faced in the Pacific region.
Ms. Souchon stated that this is a unique time for the Pacific Island universities to come together to share knowledge about the challenges faced in their different countries.
PIURN is a consortium of 15 universities established in 2013 to enable collaborations among researchers in the affiliated universities and empower them to become key contributors to finding solutions for the challenges faced in the region. The strategic research themes cover food security and nutrition, health and non-communicable diseases, climate change and biodiversity, capacity building, gender equality, and education, among other key topics.
Ms. Souchon noted that PIURN was created to bridge the gap between researchers in the region because they often work on similar research projects in isolation, and this avenue allows them to combine efforts and share knowledge.