Four researchers have secured funds for collaborative research projects under the Indo-Pacific Strategic Environmental Grants program through the Academy of the Social Sciences of Australia.
As part of the DFAT-funded 2024–2027 AFIPS Program, the Indo-Pacific Strategic Grants provide up to AUD 10,000 for academic exchange, projects, and public outreach on the Indo-Pacific strategic and economic environment and non-traditional security issues, such as climate change and economic resilience. Grants are provided for collaborative research projects, with outputs invited to make practical recommendations for Australian and/or French policymakers. Lead applicants must be social science researchers, from (by residence or nationality) Australia, France, or an Indo-Pacific nation.
The successful researchers are Dr Olga Kokshagina (University of Sydney), Dr Teesta Prakash (Australia India Institute), Dr Boram Lee (Adelaide University) and Dr Olga Oleinikova (University of Technology Sydney).
More information on the successful researchers and their projects can be seen below.
Open Futures Indo-Pacific: Mapping and Co-Designing Open Science Ecosystems in Synthetic Biology
Lead researcher: Dr Olga Kokshagina, University of Sydney
Co-researcher: March Santolini, INSERM, University of Paris
Dr Olga Kokshagina is an Associate Professor in Innovation & Entrepreneurship at University of Sydney. She is an Adjunct Researcher at Monash University’s Emerging Technology Lab and the UNU Hub – Learning Planet Institute. Her research explores the role of collaboration and technology in shaping innovation development and scaling in complex challenges, with a strong focus on healthcare, deep tech innovation and co-design. Olga has led and collaborated on projects with organizations such as the World Health Organization, OECD, STMicroelectronics, Vall d’Hebron Hospital, Roche, Marie Stopes Australia. Her work is published in leading journals, including Research Policy, Design Studies, Journal of Information Technology and California Management Review. She has also been featured by the World Economic Forum, L’Humanité, Le Figaro, Les Echos and The Conversation. Olga is the co-author of The Radical Innovation Playbook, Envisioning the Future of Learning for Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship and The Future of Learning Playbook (De Gruyter).
An Indian Ocean Pivot: Australia-France Cooperation with Indo-Pacific Partners
Lead researcher: Dr Teesta Prakash, Australia India Institute
Co-researchers: Ms Grace Corcoran, Australia India Institute; Dr Emmanuelle Crane, Indo-Pacific Institute; Mr Bernard Hay, Indo-Pacific Institute; The Hon. Lisa Singh. Australia India Institute.
Dr. Prakash is a Research Fellow for Security and Geopolitics at the Australia India Institute. Her research focus is geoeconomics of India, Southeast Asia and the Quad. She was previously an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute leading the Australia-India Cyber and Critical Technology Program between 2022 and 2023. Before that she was the inaugural Southeast Asia Research Associate at the Lowy Institute between 2021 and 2022. She completed her PhD in 2021 from Griffith University, the focus of her thesis was Australia-India strategic and economic relations during the Cold War.
Sustainability and Cultural Resilience in Climate Action: Policy Recommendations for Australia, France and the Indo-Pacific
Lead researcher: Dr Boram Lee, Adelaide University
Co-researchers: Professor Marilena Vecco, Burgundy School of Business; Associate Professor Woong Jo Chang, Hongik University
Dr Boram Lee is a Senior Lecturer at Adelaide University. Her research specialises in cultural policy, arts and festival management, and creative careers, with particular attention to contemporary issues in the cultural and creative sectors, including diversity, equity, inclusion, and sustainability. Drawing on an interdisciplinary background spanning business and the performing arts, she investigates how artistic, economic, and institutional dynamics shape the sector. She has published in leading journals and is actively engaged in international research collaborations.
Contrasting Futures and Australia’s Regional Role: Climate Migration in Resource-Rich Brunei and Emerging Vietnam
Lead researcher: Dr Olga Oleinikova, University of Technology Sydney
Co-researchers: Professor Ahsan Ullah, Universiti Brunei Darrusalam; Associate Professor Hong Quan Nguyen, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City
Dr Olga Oleinikova is Associate Professor in Migration and Director of the Social Impact Technologies and Democracy Research Hub (SITADHub) at the University of Technology Sydney. A migration sociologist specialising in cross-border mobility, forced displacement and migration governance across the Asia-Pacific, she has held research fellowships at Oxford University, Max Planck Institute, and WZB Berlin. Her comparative work on migrants from crisis regimes provides the analytical foundation for examining climate-driven displacement in Brunei and Vietnam. She will synthesise case study findings, develop the comparative framework, and lead policy engagement to strengthen Australia’s regional leadership on climate mobility.