Multi-million grants from Australia and New Zealand were handed over to the Vice-Chancellor and President of the USP, Professor Rajesh Chandra at the Oceania Centre for Arts, Culture and Pacific Studies, Suva on 30 January.

The USP stated that the grants, NZ$15m from New Zealand and A$13.55m from Australia will go toward financing the USP's new Strategic Plan 2013-18.

The Australian A$13.55m grant is a one-year extension for 2013, of a partnership arrangement between USP and Australia for the 2010-12 period.

Professor Rajesh Chandra said that Australia had made substantial capital contributions to the USP since 1968, and the partnership arrangement had been, "an extremely important gesture of support for the future of the Pacific Islands region, and a real boost to its youth and their economic prospects."

The Australian Acting High Commissioner to Australia, HE Mr Glen Miles, said that the one-year extension "will allow for further analysis of the last three years of the partnership, and the development of a package of multi-year support to the USP from 2014."

While the USP extended its partnership arrangement with Australia for another year, New Zealand entered into a new three-year partnership agreement with USP.

The partnership arrangement will provide the University with NZ$15m over the 2013-15 period to support the implementation of the new USP Strategic Plan 2013-18.

Professor Rajesh Chandra told the New Zealand Acting Head of Mission, HE Mr Phillip Taula,  that, "the Strategic Plan 2013-18 challenges the University to expand, to improve, and to achieve excellence in areas such as climate change, Pacific Studies, and ICTs for education.

"Through USP, and other education providers, countries place their hopes of a better future. USP  helps countries to build capacity and increase their ability to meet development needs, whether it be in marine science, education, engineering, social science or private sector development, to name a few."