At the opening of the "Shaping Up: Pacific Research Symposium on Sport and Sustainable Development" on 19th of June, 2018 , The President of Fiji, His Excellency Jioji Konousi Konrote announced that the Research Office will be introducing a new scholarship with a focus on sports .

This scholarship is a collaboration between USP and the Oceania National Olympic Committee (ONOC) and is designed to build the research capacity at USP in line with the University’s strategic research themes, strengthen the evidence base on the contribution of sport to sustainable development, and inform policy development and regional investments in and through sports in Pacific Island countries. 

The Pacific Regional Sports Research Scholarship was officially launched on the 9th of September, 2018 by the former Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Rajesh Chandra during a special side event in conjunction with the 49th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Nauru.

Applications for the scholarship were open for a month in late 2018 and early 2019. The scholarship was offered to three individuals from USP member countries, all of whom have a background in sports.

The pioneers of the Pacific Regional Sports Research Scholarship are: Kiali Molu of Tuvalu, Koini Vuli of Fiji, and Taburimai Tewaki of Kiribati.

During the yearlong scholarship, candidates will work with their assigned supervisors on their chosen research topic and they may even get a chance to gain industry experience.‍

Source: Anushka Maharaj, USP Research Centre, Vol. 2 - ISSUE 1 - January - March 2019