PNGUOT JOINS ERASMUS+ OCEAN TO BUILD INTERNATIONAL CAPACITY
As part of its commitment to strengthening university systems for international education, research and partnerships, the Papua New Guinea University of Technology (PNGUoT) has joined the Opening Collaboration for Education and Academic Networks (OCEAN) Project, an Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education initiative coordinated by the University of Rome Tor Vergata (Italy).
The multinational consortium, which brings together universities across Papua New Guinea, the Maldives alongside European partners in Italy, Greece, Spain and Belgium, focuses on institutional strengthening rather than individual scholarships. The project aims to boost universities’ capacity to engage in international education, research and partnerships in ways that are sustainable, inclusive and locally relevant.
“This partnership will build institutional capability—strengthening teaching, inclusive and digitally enabled education, and sustainable practices that deliver real benefits for our communities, nation and region,” said Ainsley Hemming, Director, Office of Strategic Internationalisation (OSI). “It’s about enabling PNG-led solutions through meaningful international collaboration.”
The OCEAN Project supports long-term, system-level improvements by developing institutional systems for international collaboration, expanding inclusive and digitally enabled education, promoting climate-aligned and sustainable campus practices, and building staff capability to translate global engagement into local and regional impact.
OCEAN is not an individual student scholarship scheme. Instead, Erasmus+ funding supports approved institutional activities and staff participation, including international training, collaborative planning and capacity-building workshops designed to strengthen university-wide capability.
Erasmus+ is a long-standing European Union program for higher education cooperation. OCEAN represents a new generation of Erasmus+ initiatives that emphasise on institutional strengthening, partnership-driven development and sustainable impact
The project aligns closely with PNGUoT’s Strategic Plan and its mission to serve the community, country and region. PNGUoT’s participation will enhance teaching quality and inclusive education to better serve local communities, adopt sustainable campus practices, strengthen collaboration with other PNG universities, and expand regional and global partnerships that position the University as a Pacific-anchored, internationally connected technological institution.
PNGUoT’s participation reflects its growing leadership role in Papua New Guinea and the Pacific and its commitment to collaborative projects that deliver tangible benefits for students, staff and society.
