ย ย SINU VC Prof. Transform Aqorau, Professor Johnston Vice Chancellor University of Melbourne and Siona Koti, Executive Officer to SINU VC
PRESS RELEASE
1 July 2025ย
The Solomon Islands National University (SINU) has recently concluded a week of high-level strategic engagements with the University of Melbourne, Australia, aimed at fostering deeper academic, research, and institutional collaboration.
Hosted by the University of Melbourneโs newly established Oceania Institute, the engagements featured a comprehensive programme of dialogues with key faculties and research centres, including the Faculty of Arts, the Asia Institute, Melbourne Climate Futures, the Centre for Climate and Disaster Resilience (CCDR), and the School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.
A highlight of the visit was the Oceania Conversations Forum, where SINU Vice Chancellor Professor Transform Aqorau delivered a keynote address titled โGeopolitical Change and Everyday Life in Oceania.โ In his address, Professor Aqorau emphasised the importance of anchoring innovation and development in indigenous knowledge systems and strengthening regional leadership. He underscored the vital role that Pacific institutions like SINU must play in shaping the regionโs research and policy directions.
The weeklong engagements, held from 23โ25 June 2025 in Melbourne, resulted in a broad agreement on several promising areas for collaboration:
- Joint Research Initiatives: SINU and the University of Melbourne identified climate change adaptation, food systems resilience, and indigenous knowledge systems as key themes for future collaborative research, particularly aligned with SINUโs Living Labs and the Centre for Islands Futures.
- Postgraduate Pathways: Discussions explored the development of structured opportunities for SINU academic staff to pursue higher degree research at the University of Melbourne through co-supervision, joint research, and targeted scholarship programmes.
- Leadership and Capacity Building: The University of Melbourne expressed strong interest in supporting SINUโs upcoming Leadership Short Course scheduled for October 2025 andย contributing to broader leadership development initiatives relevant to Pacific contexts.
- Curriculum and Digital Learning: Potential collaboration was explored around curriculum co-design and digital infrastructure sharing, drawing on Melbourneโs expertise to support SINUโs transition toward flexible and technology-enhanced learning models.
- Institutional Strengthening: Both institutions affirmed a shared interest in facilitating academic exchanges and peer learning to bolster SINUโs capabilities in governance, policy development, and knowledge translation.
Professor Aqorau noted that the outcomes of the visit represent a shared vision for long-term partnership, rooted in Pacific-led innovation and inclusive educational growth.
โThis collaboration reflects SINUโs ongoing commitment to forging strategic partnerships that elevate our academic standards and solidify our role as a hub for transformative and contextually grounded knowledge in the Pacific,โ he said.
The SINU delegation was led by Professor Aqorau and included Ms. Siona Koti, Executive Officer to the SINU Vice Chancellor.
Click here to read the VC’s Speech at the University of Melbourne