Port-Vila, Vanuatu – Thursday 27 November 2025: The National University of Vanuatu (NUV) has received the highest subvention for 2025 under the “Campus Mobile Pacifique” (CMP) programme that will provide 15 NUV students from the Diploma in Climate Resilience and Humanitarian Action and the Bachelor of Environmental Sciences with an exceptional opportunity to travel to New Caledonia and strengthen their scientific skills.
This 44,000-euro financing agreement was launched by the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, during his visit to Port Vila in July 2023. Thanks to this initiative, NUV students will take part in field research conducted by the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), allowing them to deepen their scientific and field research skills while gaining firsthand experience in environmental and climate-related studies. Their mobility will also include French language reinforcement courses delivered by the Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie (UNC), which will foster meaningful academic and cultural exchanges between students of both institutions.
The initiative is designed as a two-way mobility programme. Following the students’ stay in New Caledonia, IRD researchers will travel to Vanuatu to deliver a week of specialised courses for NUV’s Diploma students. This reciprocal approach will further strengthen NUV’s academic offer and reinforce the university’s commitment to scientific excellence and regional collaboration.
The project is rooted in a strong tripartite partnership between NUV, IRD and UNC, and is expected to consolidate institutional ties while opening new possibilities for joint research, co-supervision and broader cooperation in support of the Sustainable Development Goals. As the lead institution, NUV will coordinate the project in close partnership with its regional counterparts to ensure its successful implementation.
NUV’s Chancellor, Mr Jean-Pierre Nirua, welcomed on its main campus the Deputy Permanent Secretary for the Pacific at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Mr Frédéric Roure, the French Ambassador to Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands, Mr Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer, and a representative from IRD, Mrs Catherine Sabinot.
NUV’s Vice-Chancellor Niruas expressed his gratitude for the support received. “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs for its trust in our university, our team, and our partners. We are honoured to contribute to the realisation of this initiative,” he said.
Today’s signing ceremony of the 44,000 euros agreement, about 5.5 million vatu, was attended by representatives from the French Embassy, IRD, Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie, France Volontaires, the Alliance Française, Agence française de développement, as well as NUV staff and students.
