19/10/2026
🔎 How can research help build stronger, more resilient communities across the Pacific?
🤝 Associate Professor Andrew Levula and Professor Ian Eddie recently travelled to Fiji to strengthen Excelsia's engagement with government agencies and regional organisations and explore new opportunities for collaborative development.
🙌 A key milestone of the visit was discussions with the Fiji Bureau of Statistics regarding further opportunities to partner and collaborate. The conversations explored how academic research can contribute to initiatives of national significance while creating pathways for long-term institutional collaboration.
💡 Discussions were also held with Pacific Catastrophe Risk Insurance Company (PCRIC), Fiji Council Of Social Services (FCOSS), Every Home Fiji, and Global Compassion, highlighting the significance of partnership in addressing challenges facing Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
👏 The visit marked the delivery of the Fiji SIDS Disaster Resilience Scorecard Report, developed by Associate Professor Levula following the Fiji pilot assessment. The report was presented to representatives from the Fiji government's Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), and UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), providing an important evidence base for future resilience planning and investment.
✨ The initiative is expected to expand through community-level resilience assessments in Fiji and broader engagement across other SIDS regions, supporting evidence-based policy and capacity building.
📚 The visit reflects Excelsia's commitment to research with real-world impact, while fostering knowledge exchange and shared prosperity aligned with the spirit of the Australia-Fiji Vuvale Partnership.
