The Lowy Institute is a member of the Pacific Research Program (PRP). The PRP, launched on 1 October 2017, is a consortium led by the ANU’s Department of Pacific Affairs (formerly SSGM) and including the ANU’s Development Policy Centre and the Lowy Institute. Co-funded by DFAT and the consortium partners’ parent bodies, the PRP is a four-year program designed to be a globally pre-eminent centre of excellence for research on the Pacific that:
1. Produces high-quality policy relevant research that is available, accessible and communicated to policy makers and program designers in Australia, the Pacific and from around the world;
2. Plays a central role in fostering and facilitating a strong and vibrant Pacific-Australia-New Zealand-wide network of research on the Pacific;
3. Is connected to Australia’s broader engagement with the Pacific and fosters a greater knowledge and understanding of the Pacific among the Australian community;
4. Demonstrates a high degree of effectiveness in contributing to evidence-based policy-making and program design primarily in Australia and also the Pacific and around the world.
The geographic scope of the PRP is the Pacific region as a whole, though Melanesia will be an area of particular interest in line with Australia’s geographic location and national interests. The sectoral focus of the PRP will be on the intersection of politics, economy and power in relation to the region’s most pressing development challenges.
The Institute will be contributing to the PRP across multiple areas, but will also focus on its strengths of production of policy-relevant research, communication of research to broader audiences, media engagement, and engagement with the broader Australian community on the Pacific.