RERIPA EVENT – 15-17 October 2024 – Tanoa International hotel, Nadi, Fiji
Enhancing Research and Innovation ecosystems to tackle climate change in the Pacific
I
The OACPS R&I Programme is an initiative implemented by the Secretariat of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific states (OACPS) and funded by the European Union (EU).
CONCEPT NOTE FOR RERIPA EVENT
RERIPA OVERVIEW
The RERIPA Project “Renforcement des écosystèmes de Recherche et d’Innovation face aux enjeux climatiques dans le Pacifique” (Strengthening Research and Innovation Ecosystems to Address the Impacts of Climate Change in the Pacific) in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) is an initiative funded by the ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific) Innovation Fund, a component of the Research and Innovation (R&I) programme of the Organisation of ACP States (OACPS) with financial contribution from the European Union.
This programme has been set up to strengthen the R&I capabilities of the ACP countries contributing to their sustainable development which, through the RERIPA project, will stimulate innovations to better address the challenging climate change impacts (CCI).
Climate change is acknowledged by the members of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) as the single greatest threat to their Blue Pacific Region. This motivated the Blue Pacific’s call for Urgent Global Climate Change Action and reinforced recently in its Ocean agenda.1
This coincides with the regional leaders’ vision recognising that regionalism as stated in the PIF’s Strategic Framework 2017-2021 must be adaptable, innovative and inclusive, and have positiveimpacts for the people in the region. The role of R&I is presented as being crucial for this purpose.
OBJECTIVES
The overall objective of the RERIPA project is an inclusive (R&I) environment and the knowledge to face climate change impacts across the Pacific Region. The original approach of RERIPA is to support the co-design and deployment of innovative solutions to tackle climate change impacts by academic actors, companies, NGOs, users’ representative and public authorities, in order to respond to identified needs. In particular, RERIPA focuses on three areas: coastal vulnerability, ocean health and rising sea level.
The RERIPA project is further divided into three specific objectives (SO):
SO1 – R&I network strategy – Reinforced collaboration and synergy between public, private stakeholders and representatives of civil society to encourage the emergence of R&I strategies, in particular adapted to climate change challenges; and create sustainable conditions for participatory and inclusive R&I.
SO2 – R&I capacity building – Reinforced R&I capacity of the territories, exploitation of research results, project engineering and collective intelligence that contribute to a common culture facilitating productive interactions at national and regional level.
SO3 – Establishment of living labs – Increased uptake in the region of innovative, inclusive and sustainable solutions to face regional climate change impacts tested, developed or adapted by the Living Labs.
None of these objectives can be achieved while working in silos. Therefore, the RERIPA project aims to work closely with all relevant stakeholders in order to co-construct their different actions, i.e., as a programme RERIPA will provide an opportunity for interested parties to apply for funding under four published calls.
CALLS
Call 1 – Mapping and diagnosis of R&I ecosystems, networking facilitation, R&I general vision/strategy with a particular focus on climate change
To map out the current state of the R&I ecosystem and identify the various stakeholders across the region that are involved. This involves working with stakeholders, to identify the priority areas, to suggest the best strategies for strengthening R&I ecosystems and create a network across the region dedicated to these two main goals.
Call 2 – Capacity building in innovation and valorisation
To consolidate a network of stakeholders with a shared vision and strategy of R&I in the Pacific Region. Call 2 provides the technical expertise and capacity support for training relevant R&I partnersto address the key areas identified.
Call 3 – Setting up living Labs and developiong/deploying smart solutions to face climate change impact
This is a central point of the project. Supported by the activities carried out in Call 1 and 2 projects, it is anticipated that innovative and sustainable solutions (including smart, frugal, and user-centred) or/and based on the results of research to cope with CCI and support Pacific Islands R&I strategy and blue economy, could be developed and implemented through Living Labs (LL). The LL are user centred projects, co-designed by different groups of stakeholders (e.g. research organizations,
Innovation support organizations, Civil Society Organisations, Non-Governmental Organisations, private companies, policy makers…) to address concerns of public interest. LL will stimulate partnerships and help develop R&I networking in the Pacific, contributing to the structuring of R&I policies and, finally, to the strengthening of the R&I ecosystems of ACP countries.
Call 4 – Contributing to Pacific education / knowledge on Research and Innovation processes and tools, with a reference to Living Labs outputs against CCI.
Contributing with the Call 2 to the training of stakeholders on innovation (project engineering, open innovation, impact pathway, intellectual property, innovation brokering…) with a focus on CCI, teaching educational content materials in different languages for different audiences (NGOs, citizens, policy makers…) are expected to be integrated into existing training programmes of institutes of higher learning. This will include the results of Call 3 / LLs, which will be monitored and shared throughout the region to contribute to innovation capacities of stakeholders through adoption/diffusion of innovative solutions resulting from the LLs. This will contribute to the strengthening of a Pacific-based framework for education/knowledge and R&I on CCI and resilience.
FOCUS
This event endeavours to:
- Present the respective achievements state of the Third Party Projects (TPPs) selected from Call 1, Call 2 and Call4.
- Present the first results obtained by the 5 Living Labs selected from Call 3.
- Bring together all RERIPA project leads and consortium partners from Calls 1 – 4 in order to better coordinate complementary activities.
- Share the initiatives which were already driven and suggest the expected future actions to be set for a consolidated network of stakeholders in the Pacific
PARTICIPANTS
The participants are from:
- The 8 selected projects from the RERIPA Calls for proposals,
- Institute of Research for Development (IRD),
- Pacific Islands Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (PIANGO),
- Vanuatu Meteorology and Geohazards Department (VMGD)
- Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF)
- Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS),
- Pacific Crop Agencies
- Others stakeholders from the R&I ecosystem or the Pacific Region
1 The Alliance of Small Island States at the Ocean Conference 2022 launched the Declaration for the Enhancement of Marine Scientific Knowledge Research Capacity and Transfer of Marine Technology, calling forthe establishment of partnerships to increase scientific knowledge, develop marine research capacity and transfer marine technology within Small Island States (SIDS). More importantly, it encouraged mutual learning and innovation whilst recognising that each partner held diverse forms of knowledge. This reinforced the Blue Pacific’s call for Urgent Global Climate Change Action, and coincides with PIFs Strategic Framework for 2017- 2021, calling for regionalism to be adaptable, innovative and inclusive, in order to have positive impacts for the people in the region.
| RERIPA Event 2024 | ||
| Tuesday October 15, 2024 | ||
| 8.30 – 9.00 | Registration | Dr Leba Salusalu, Mr Henry Galuvakadua & Mr Permal Gaunder |
| 9:00 – 10:15 | Launch of the RERIPA Event Opening prayer Welcome & Housekeeping Welcome of Chief Guests Vote of thanks Group photo | Ms Marilyn Tagicakibau MOFA representative Ms Roxanne Castelein Prof Sushil USP |
| 10:15 – 10.45 | Morning Tea | |
| 10.45 – 12.00 | Presentation of RERIPA with presentation of each Call (called by the presenter for each Call) (1 short PowerPoint for each / 1 or 2 slides) | Mr Roneel Kumar + Call Lead – Applicants |
| 12.00 – 13.00 | UN SIDS Conference 2024 (the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS / ABAS – a Renewed Declaration for Resilient Prosperity) “2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent” “2050 Strategy Implementation Plan 2023-2030” | PIFS/ MOFA (TBC) |
| 13.00 – 14.00 | Lunch | |
| 14.00 – 15.00 | Presentations of RERIPA Call 1 General overview: update on progress, activities to- date & next achievements. Q&A discussion | Presenter: Mr Albert Whippy Lead: Prof Maurizio Cirrincoine |
| 15.00 – 15.30 | Afternoon Tea | |
| 15.30 – 16:30 | Presentations of RERIPA Call 2 General overview: update on progress, activities to- date & next achievements. Q&A discussion | Presenter: Ms Elenoa Ravula Lead: AP Awnesh Singh |
| 16.30-16.45 | Wrap up of the day 1 | Prof Jean-François Marini |
| 17.30 – 18.30 | Welcome cocktail |
| RERIPA | ||
| Wednesday October 16, 2024 | ||
| 8.30 – 9:00 | Registration | Dr Leba Salusalu, Mr Henry Galuvakadua & Mr Permal Gaunder |
| 9:00 – 9:15 | Recap of day 1, | Ms Marilyn Tagicakibau & Dr Leba Salusalu |
| Program for day 2 | ||
| 9.15 – 10.15 | Presentations of RERIPA Call 3 – Corals General overview: update on progress, activities to- date & next achievements Q&A discussion | Presenter: Ms Susana Vulawalu Lead: Dr Antoine N’Yeurt |
| 10:15 – 11.00 | Morning Tea | |
| 11.00 – 12.00 | Presentations of RERIPA Call 3 – Coastal erosion | Presenter: Mr Kevin Passfield Lead: Ms Alanna Smith |
| General overview: update on progress, activities to-date & next achievements; | ||
| Q&A discussion | ||
| 12:00 – 13:00 | Lunch | |
| 13.00 – 13.45 | Research & Innovation – Institutional View – USP Regional | Prof Sushil Kumar |
| 13.45 – 14.45 | Presentations of RERIPA Call 3 – Microgrid Energy | Presenter: Mr Tupuivao Vaiaso Lead: Prof. Funemalafai Teama |
| General overview: update on progress, activities to-date & next achievements; | ||
| Q&A discussion | ||
| 14:45 – 15:15 | Afternoon Tea | |
| 15.15 – 16.15 | Presentations of RERIPA Call 3 – CHANCES | Presenter: Dr. Arno Pascht Lead: Prof Sushil Kumar |
| General overview: update on progress, activities to-date & next achievements; | ||
| Q&A discussion | ||
| 16.15 – 16.30 | Wrap up for Day 2 | Prof Jean-François Marini & Mr Gérard Denouden |
| RERIPA | ||
| Thursday October 17, 2024 | ||
| 8.30 – 9:00 | Registration | Dr Leba Salusalu, Mr Henry Galuvakadua & Mr Permal Gaunder |
| 9:00 – 9:15 | Recap of day 2, | Ms Marilyn Tagicakibau & Dr Leba Salusalu |
| Program for day 3 | ||
| 9:15 – 10:15 | Presentations of RERIPA Call 3 – SIPOC | Presenter: Mr Carl Probert Lead: Prof M. Rafiuddin Ahmed |
| General overview: update on progress, activities to-date& next achievements; | ||
| Q&A discussion | ||
| 10:15 – 10.45 | Morning Tea | |
| 10.45 – 11.45 | Presentations of RERIPA Call 4 | Presenter: Ms Timaima Racule Lead: Prof Jimaima Lako |
| General overview: update on progress, activities to-date& next achievements; | ||
| Q&A discussion | ||
| 12:00 – 13:30 | Lunch | |
| 13.30 – 14.15 | Innovation- Perspective of Social, Economy & Geography | Dr Gilbert David |
| 14.15 – 15.45 | Financial Management & Introduction to Log Frame session of work | Mr Gérard Denouden |
| 15:45 – 16:00 | Afternoon Tea | |
| 16.00 – 16.30 | General conclusions and perspectives | Prof Jean- François Marini & Mr Gérard Denouden |
| 16.30 – 16.45 | Closing Remarks | Dr Gilbert David |
| 17:00 – 18:00 | Closing Cocktail |
RERIPA 2024 October Event