Written by The Pacific Islands Development Program (PIDP) at the East-West Center (EWC) has partnered with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to support the Development Research for Oceania Pipeline, a new pilot project that aims to deepen the pool of economic development experts in the Pacific region, build capacity in the region and address economic issues and recovery.
“Economic recovery is top of mind for every Pacific country right now,” said Karena Lyons, PIDP Director and East-West Center Vice President. “We wanted to develop a pilot that produces action-oriented, useful economic research now, while still investing in long-term economic recovery efforts by increasing expert capacity in the region. This project, generously funded by the ADB, is intended to grow more economists in the Pacific.”
The program, which runs through early 2024, will support research by graduate students working on development issues in the region. Each researcher will receive funding to finance field research in one or more Pacific Island countries. They will also receive residential academic experience at the East-West Center to support their work.
Importantly, the grants will require the researchers to convey their findings to key stakeholders in the Pacific and the publication of policy-relevant research products designed for a broader audience. PIDP will announce the first annual selection competition for the research awards in late 2020.
Read more about the program on its project page.