The 6th Piurn Conference

The 6th Pacific Islands Universities Regional Network (PIURN) Conference was hosted for the first time by the Papua New Guinea University of Technology (PNGUoT) in Lae from 1–3 July 2025, bringing together nearly 200 academics, researchers, students, and practitioners from across the Pacific, Australia, and New Zealand. Held under the theme “Harnessing Technologies for the Safe and Sustainable Development of the Pacific,” the event addressed key regional challenges such as climate change, food security, biodiversity, digital connectivity, resilient infrastructure, and natural resource management, while integrating modern scientific approaches with traditional knowledge.

Established in 2013, PIURN is a consortium of 15 universities across the Pacific, and its biennial conference serves as a platform for collaboration, knowledge sharing, and strengthening research capacity. The 2025 meeting not only showcased innovative and regionally relevant solutions but also coincided with Papua New Guinea’s upcoming 50th Independence celebrations, underscoring the importance of making Pacific research both locally impactful and globally recognized.

The Innovative University of Enga (IUE) was represented by three staff members who attended and presented their research papers at the conference. Their contributions were as follows:

1. Dr. Kate O’Neill
   • Title: “1 Course, 13 Nations: Practical Takeaways for Networked Course Design and Delivery – A Model for Pacific Island Universities.”
2. Mr. Stanley Rungwa
   • Title: “A Review of Agroforestry-Phytoremediation Systems for Land Restoration and Livelihood Enhancement: Insights for the Porgera Mine Environment, Papua New Guinea.”
3. Mr. Ronald Aknonero
   • Title: “Bridging Generations: Ethnochemistry and Traditional Knowledge as Catalysts for Sustainable Scientific Innovation.”