Nabilah S
A science academy for the Pacific region has been launched, promising to enhance prosperity through science. The Pacific Academy of Sciences was launched in Samoa during a side event at the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, marking the first science academy in a region previously without one.
Professor Jemaima Tiatia-Siau, a pro-vice chancellor at the University of Auckland and one of the academy’s 12 “Foundation Fellows,” stated, “This is history in the making; the Pacific region has yet to establish a community of scientists.”
Tiatia-Siau stated, “Bringing Pacific scholars together to nurture the next generation can only be a very positive development.”
The academy will promote “the study and application of the natural and social sciences, the humanities, indigenous knowledge, and technology for the benefit of the Pacific Islands region and beyond,” according to the International Science Council (ISC) website.
Professor Chennupati Jagadish, President of the Australian Academy of Science (AAS), stated that “the launch of the Pacific Academy of Sciences marks an important milestone in establishing a regional collaboration in the pursuit of knowledge for a prosperous and thriving Pacific Islands region.”
The science academy follows efforts in the region to promote science in the Pacific Islands and encourage the training of new scientists, such as the establishment of the first Bachelor of Science degree in the Solomon Islands and the Samoan Scientific Research Organisation, which seeks to use scientific innovation to enhance Samoa’s economy.
Tiatia-Siau states that the academy aims to “increase the visibility of Pacific-led research and highlight the talent within the Pacific region in the fields of science and academia.”
She notes that specific challenges unique to the Pacific region, such as global issues like climate change, present significant opportunities for academics to make an impact.
Jagadish states that the Australian government has prioritized the Pacific region, contributing $10.3 million to support scientific collaborations like the Pacific Academy. Last year, Pacific academics convened to discuss the academy’s formation, recognizing the region’s significant underfunding in science.
In October 2023, the International Science Council gathered over 60 Pacific scholars from various Pacific Island nations, who largely supported the establishment of a Pacific academy of sciences and humanities, according to Jagadish.
Samoa’s Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, welcomed the new Academy, stating, “Now, more than ever, the Pacific Islands have a mechanism to leverage our rich and unique knowledge of the region and its people to positively influence global decisions.”
