PACE-Net Plus is a three-year project, funded by the European Commission that will strengthen bi-regional cooperation in science, technology and innovation (STI) between the Pacific region and Europe. The main objectives of PACE-Net Plus are:• Reinforcing the UE-Pacific ST&I cooperation, focusing on 3 major societal challenges in the field of health, demographic change and wellbeing; food security, sustainable agriculture, marine and maritime research and the bio-economy; and climate action, resource use and efficiency, and raw materials.• Enhancing the cooperation on innovation issues, helping in bridging the gap between public and private sectors.• Strengthening the Pacific-EU research cooperation partnerships, through the promotion of EC and MS&AC programmes, especially Horizon 2020, among Pacific research community, as well as the Pacific opportunities for European researchers.• Supporting the bi-regional policy dialogue in STI between the EU and the Pacific region.

The work of PACE-NetPlus is structured into 7 work packages. The coordination and management of the project is under the responsibility of the Institute of Research and Development (IRD), France. The Coordinator ensures the link between the consortium and the EC, and supervises the technical and scientific progress of the project. This work is implemented by the project Coordinator and manager, based in the IRD Centre of Noumea, New Caledonia, in link with IRD Headquarters in Marseille (mainly the Europe Department and the Direction of Finance).In addition, Work Package 7 focuses on the coordination, management of the project. This Work Package provides the necessary structure for the good-development of the project, including decision making processes, monitoring of the activities, links and synergies between the activities implemented within the different Work Packages, financial management, communication with the EC, external communication including relations with the press and coordination with other INCO projects. It is also responsible for setting up the Advisory Board and the External Review Panel.Coherence and effectiveness during the implementation of the project will be provided by involving different levels of coordination:- Coordination of the project- Coordination at the Work Package level- Coordination at the Task levelThe implementation activities of PACE-NetPlus is structured into 7 Work Packages (refer diagram below). The major activities of the project include a series of high-level bi-regional policy dialogue platforms to be hosted alternatively in the Pacific region and in Brussels. These platforms will bring together key government and institutional stakeholders in both regions, around STI issues.These policy dialogue platforms will be supported through a series of thematic workshops on the above-mentioned societal challenges that will identify synergies amongst current initiatives (for example, in climate change research).The project will work towards identifying difficulties faced by innovation actors, and help to bridge the gap between the public and the private sectors in the Pacific countries.Arrangements for Capacity-Building and Technology Transfer:During the course of the project, several activities are expected to lead to training and capacity-building of researchers, whether in Europe or in the Pacific region. Indeed, the three thematic WPs (1, 2 and 3) foresee the implementation of joint activities which could include: summer schools, joint calls, twinning and networking of labs, capacity-building for leaders for the future (scientists and/or policy makers). WP4, dedicated to cooperation on innovation issues, also envisages training sessions, capacity-building, activities and partner matching.

During the course of the project, several activities are expected to lead to training and capacity-building of researchers, whether in Europe or in the Pacific region. Indeed, the three thematic WPs (1, 2 and 3) foresee the implementation of joint activities which could include: summer schools, joint calls, twinning and networking of labs, capacity-building for leaders for the future (scientists and/or policy makers). WP4, dedicated to cooperation on innovation issues, also envisages training sessions, capacity-building, activities and partner matching.

The work of PACE-NetPlus is structured into 7 work packages. The coordination and management of the project is under the responsibility of the Institute of Research and Development (IRD), France. The Coordinator ensures the link between the consortium and the EC, and supervises the technical and scientific progress of the project. This work is implemented by the project Coordinator and manager, based in the IRD Centre of Noumea, New Caledonia, in link with IRD Headquarters in Marseille (mainly the Europe Department and the Direction of Finance).In addition, Work Package 7 focuses on the coordination, management of the project. This Work Package provides the necessary structure for the good-development of the project, including decision making processes, monitoring of the activities, links and synergies between the activities implemented within the different Work Packages, financial management, communication with the EC, external communication including relations with the press and coordination with other INCO projects. It is also responsible for setting up the Advisory Board and the External Review Panel.Coherence and effectiveness during the implementation of the project will be provided by involving different levels of coordination:- Coordination of the project- Coordination at the Work Package level- Coordination at the Task level

PACE-Net PLUS Consortium members: Institut de recherche pour le developpement (IRD), France Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), United-Kingdom The Australian National University (ANU), Australia CNRT Nickel and its Environment, New-Caledonia Technical Centre of Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), Netherlands Institut Louis Malarde (ILM), French Polynesia Landcare Research (LCR), New-Zealand Montroix Pty Ltd, Australia National University of Samoa (NUS), Samoa Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), New-Caledonia Sociedade Portuguesa de Inovao (SPI), Portugal United Nations Industrial Development Organization, UNIDO, Austria University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG), Papua New-Guinea University of the South Pacific (USP), Fiji Vanuatu Cultural Centre (VKS), Vanuatu Leibniz-Zentrum fur Marine Tropenoekologie (ZMT), Germany