Enhancing Research and Innovation Ecosystems to Tackle Climate Change in the Pacific (RERIPA)

Cook Islands ; Federated States of Micronesia ; Fiji ; Kiribati ; Marshall Islands ; Nauru ; Niue ; Palau ; Papua New Guinea ; Samoa ; Solomon Islands ; Timor-Leste ; Tonga, ;Tuvalu ; Vanuatu – Pacific

Project leader: French National Research Institute for Development – DMOB/SRIV Department (IRD)

Dates : 2021-2025

Classification

Risks

Solutions

Actors

Costs

Summary

The Pacific Islands share similar physiographic features and are all exposed to the impacts of climate change (sea level rise, coastal vulnerability, lagoon and ocean health). Weak research and innovation environments as well as limited capacity for local science and innovation prevent most Pacific states from addressing the consequences of climate change. 

RERIPA is a programme seeking to strengthen Research and Innovation (R&I) ecosystems which harnesses collective intelligence and knowledge on climate change in the Pacific region. As part of this programme, support is provided to encourage Civil society organisations (CSOs), businesses, start-ups, universities, research centers and governments to collaborate in ‘living labs’. This will allow them to share valuable research knowledge and project development/management skills, investigate digital tools and build innovative, smart and sustainable solutions which will empower Pacific countries to adapt to the impact of climate change.

The project is funded by OEACP R&I, an initiative funded by the European Union and implemented by the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS). 

Actions

RERIPA develops and disseminates knowledge to support innovative solutions which contribute to climate change mitigation. Meanwhile, it facilitates collaboration between R&I stakeholders by strengthening their capacities in terms of project development/management, research promotion and the co-design of solutions. 

RERIPA provides financial support to projects selected via calls for proposals. These projects are conducted in the Pacific region and seek to :

  • Map R&I stakeholders and assess R&I status in the region. 
  • Build a multi-stakeholder community aware of the importance of science-society collaboration in the development of innovations. 
  • Design and implement R&I projects in living labs to develop innovative solutions addressing the most pressing climate change issues. 
  • Share innovative and sustainable solutions to the private sector for positive social and economic benefits, and to local authorities for informed policy-making.

Besides, RERIPA provides training to R&I stakeholders involved in the ‘living labs’ regarding :

  • Collective intelligence of R&I.
  • Networking between public and private sectors.
  • Project development/management.
  • Information technologies.
  • Research promotion (contractualisation, intellectual property, technology transfer …).
  • Financial viability.

Outcomes

Upon completion of the project, the following objectives should be achieved: 

  • National R&I ecosystems on the target topics are mapped and assessed in a participatory manner, and a shared vision of the issues is developed. 
  • A multi-stakeholder community is federated, committed and aware of the importance of science-society collaboration in the joint design of realistic and useful innovations and solutions. 
  • The capacities of stakeholders in terms of valorisation of research results, collective intelligence and project engineering are strengthened. 
  • The professional capacities of stakeholders, particularly in terms of research, tools and services related to the challenges of climate change, are strengthened. 
  • The Livings Labs mobilise stakeholders from the research sector, civil society, the private sector and the public.

Partners

Technical partners: IRD, PIDF (Pacific Island Development Forum), PIANGO (Pacific Island Association of Non Governmental Association) VMGD (Vanuatu Meteorological and Geohazards Department).

Financial partners: OACPS, European Union

Resources