The Fiji National University (FNU) is set to strengthen its role in national development through plans to establish the Institute of Statistics, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) under its College of Business, Hospitality and Tourism Studies (CBHTS) this year.
The proposed institute will serve as a central hub for statistical research, data analysis, and evidence-based insights, reinforcing FNU’s transition under the Ministry of Strategic Planning, National Development and Statistics. This strategic alignment positions the University to play a more direct role in supporting Government’s policy formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
FNU Pro Vice-Chancellor Corporate Services, Professor Nii-K Plange, emphasised the critical need for a dedicated research institute focused on statistical analysis stating “It is important for any university to have a centre or an institute that deals specifically with research and therefore is able to have its own database from which other academics can either dip in or actually store their own statistical data.”
“The establishment of ISSER has become critical in our transition as a National University to become part of Government’s development in areas such as monitoring and and evaluation, project design and implementation and assessment. Activities which always requires dealing with the huge statistical data for analysis and analysis to inform policy design or policy change.”
With FNU now operating under the Ministry of Strategic Planning, National Development and Statistics, Professor Plange said the demand for high-level statistical expertise would continue to grow.
“The significance of this institute for the university in terms of our research and our transition to government, which means, almost invariably, FNU will be called upon to do statistical analysis. It’s good to harness our statistical resources in terms of expertise across the field of economics, sociology, public health, medicine, engineering, so that we are ready both to provide assistance to government and to do our own statistical analysis as a National University,” Professor Plange said.
He further highlighted that the vision for ISSER is rooted in FNU’s identity and responsibility as a national institution and the foresight of the Vice Chancellor, Professor Unaisi Nabobo-Baba, noting that, “The inspiration to establish ISSER is because of the way we have underscored our role as a National University, we are right in the vortex of national development, and we must be seen to be doing what national universities do, which is speak to national development. And you speak to national development, not only by narrative, but by figures, quantitative representation of development issues,” he said.
College of Business, Hospitality and Tourism Studies (CBHTS) Acting Associate Dean Research and Innovation, Professor Anand Chand.
The institute is expected to consolidate existing statistical expertise across the University. Professor Plange revealed that an initial meeting identified academics from the College of Engineering and Technical, Vocational Education and Training (CETVET), College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences (CMNHS), College of Humanities, Education and Law (CHEL), College of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (CAFF), College of Business, Hospitality and Tourism Studies (CBHTS), and the Centre for Graduate Studies (CGS), who is already engaged in statistical work.
“There are 16 interested FNU academics, who are statisticians. Each of these 16 academics have been doing some statistical work on their own, especially in the areas of statistical modelling and the utilisation of computer to do all kinds of computer analysis,” he revealed.
“The institute brought together all these experts together, and what we are going to do now cross disciplinary statistical analysis. If there’s an issue, we put the issue on the table, and I’m going to ask each of them, how do you bring your statistical expertise to bear on this?”
College of Business, Hospitality and Tourism Studies (CBHTS) Dean, Dr Asaeli Tuibeqa.
Professor Plange underscored that he is working with CBHTS Dean, Dr Asaeli Tuibeqa and and Acting Associate Dean Research and Innovation, Professor Anand Chand to establish the institute’s research focus which will be guided by both national priorities and external demand.
“The core is of research is defined by first, what our own interests are as a National University, and secondly, what areas of research may be outsourced to us by government. A key function of ISSER will be to support evidence-based decision-making within Government. We will collect the figures, do the analysis, and base our decision on the figures to make policy informed decisions and give it to Government.”
Looking ahead, ISSER also aims to establish strong regional and international collaborations to address shared development challenges.
“There are other Institutes of Statistics, Social and Economic Research in the world. Once we get established, we will inform them that we have established this institute. We want to also have collaborative relations that would allow us to be plugged into the international space of statistical work, and we may find ourselves in collaboration to do statistical analysis at the regional and also perhaps the international level.
He added that the institute will actively pursue opportunities beyond Fiji.
“Once we get established, we will respond to regional or international organisation tenders for some statistical work to be done in relation to social and economic aspects of our lives.”
The establishment of ISSER marks a significant step in FNU’s evolution as a national university, reinforcing its commitment to research excellence, interdisciplinary collaboration, and meaningful contribution to Fiji’s development through data-driven insights.
ENDS