[TRANSLATED ARTICLE] Discover our Strategy and Operations Manager and Secretary - Kimberley Coulson

She returned to New Caledonia with around fifty scientists in tow!

Originally from New Caledonia, Dr Kimberley Coulson holds a PhD in immuno-oncology and has since transitioned into science diplomacy. She is now Strategy & Operations Manager at AFRAN, the Australian-French Association for Research and Innovation, a network bringing together more than 1,100 researchers, innovators and institutional representatives working at the interface of the French and Australian ecosystems.

From 2 to 4 September 2026, she co-organised the forum “From UNOC-3 to COP31: Science Evidence, Pacific Resilience and Southern Connections” in Nouméa, together with IRD, the University of New Caledonia (UNC) and CRESICA. It was both AFRAN’s first major event outside Australia and a first for New Caledonia within the calendar of major international climate negotiations, ahead of the pre-COP in October and COP31 in November, under Australia’s presidency.

We spoke with Dr Kimberley Coulson, a New Caledonian who has chosen to champion her home territory from the other side of the Pacific.

You are originally from New Caledonia and are now returning to the territory in an international scientific capacity. What does this return mean to you, both personally and professionally?

In both respects, it feels like a small victory! Personally, New Caledonia obviously has my heart, as it does for all New Caledonians—and perhaps even more so for those of us who have left the territory. This is where I feel at home. Even though I haven’t lived here for some time, my family is here, as are my memories, so I do whatever I can to maintain a connection in one way or another. That brings me to the professional side. New Caledonia doesn’t fully realise just how rich it is or the level of expertise it has here. Coming back today to showcase that expertise to our closest neighbours—whom we sometimes tend to look up to—on an issue as important as climate change was an enormous challenge, and I’m very happy that we made it happen.

You began your career as an immuno-oncology researcher in Toulouse before moving into science diplomacy at the French Embassy in Australia and then AFRAN. How did that journey unfold, and what led you to choose cooperation over the laboratory?

That’s a very good question! I’m still not sure I have all the answers...

My journey actually began with the infamous PACES, the former first year of medical studies in France. Unfortunately, that first year proved insurmountable for me, as it does for many others. But I knew I wanted my studies to remain connected to health, and particularly to cancer.

As for the PhD, despite everything people sometimes say about doing one, I would encourage anyone who is interested to give it a try. It taught me an enormous amount, both about my research topic and about myself. I loved the laboratory environment: you had to be organised, independent and curious. I should also mention that my PhD was supported by a PER scholarship from New Caledonia’s Southern Province and was originally intended to involve the Institut Pasteur de Nouvelle-Calédonie.

Unfortunately, COVID happened. It obviously put an end to any hope of carrying out research missions in New Caledonia during my PhD, and suddenly my family felt very far away. I started looking for every possible opportunity to get closer to home, and Australia seemed like the obvious choice.

My father, who was working at the French Embassy at the time, told me that a position as a Scientific Affairs Officer was becoming available, so I applied. That was how I discovered science diplomacy—and AFRAN.

I quickly grew to enjoy it because the work at the Embassy wasn’t actually that different from doing a PhD in some respects: scientific monitoring, organisational skills, understanding research. My research background helped me enormously because I spoke the same language as the researchers I was meeting.

I initially worked with AFRAN from within the Embassy. The Embassy then created an International Technical Expert position to support AFRAN’s development and help the association gradually become more independent. Applying for that role felt like an obvious next step.

“So rather than saying that I made a deliberate choice, I would say that I took the opportunities that came my way. Looking back, even though I loved working in the laboratory, today—even on a small scale—I sometimes feel that I am doing something useful for a broader community and that I have a more integrated view of things, whereas PhD and laboratory research can unfortunately often be carried out in silos.” 

Could you introduce AFRAN, its missions and objectives, and explain how it is organised? How does this bridge between the French and Australian research ecosystems work in practice?

Today, AFRAN brings together more than 1,100 researchers, consultants, innovators and representatives from NGOs and government. We are present throughout Australia through local hubs in every state and territory. We also have three regional hubs: one in metropolitan France; one in the Indian Ocean, broadly connecting La Réunion and Western Australia; and one in the Pacific, with particularly strong connections between Australia’s east coast and New Caledonia. We also have nine scientific communities, including one officially launched in Nouméa, which operate beyond geographical boundaries. Through our activities—primarily events of varying sizes—we promote French and Australian expertise across different fields in order to create or strengthen links between the two countries. In practice, it works a little like what happened here this week. We identify people or organisations with strong potential to develop collaborations with France or Australia and invite them to participate in a two- or three-day event. We make sure they have an opportunity to present their work, but also, crucially, to speak informally with researchers they might never otherwise have met.

That is precisely why networking sessions, coffee breaks, and multidisciplinary and cross-sector events are so important.

We also have an annual project call providing small amounts of seed funding for initiatives led by our members. The amounts are often modest, but many members have told us what a difference this support has made to their relationships with their partners. I am AFRAN’s only employee, but we have a Board of around ten people who support strategic decision-making, two volunteer interns helping develop new activities, and a core group of around 50–60 highly active volunteer members who bring forward ideas throughout the year.

Why is New Caledonia, as a French territory at the heart of the Pacific, strategically important to the bilateral France–Australia relationship in research and innovation?

There are several answers to that question. First, proximity. When I arrived in Australia and talked about collaboration with France, Australians would often tell me that France was simply too far away. It took a lot of work to make them realise that they actually have a little piece of France right next door. Second, there are the research institutions based in New Caledonia. Considering the size of the population, it is remarkable. We have CNRS, Institut Pasteur, IRD, IFREMER, CIRAD and BRGM—all national research organisations—but also IAC, the University of New Caledonia and the hospital, all carrying out high-quality research.

Third, there is New Caledonia’s identity as part of the Pacific. I should make it clear that I love metropolitan France and French people, but having lived there for ten years, you can feel that we are different. We are also different from Australians, but we share the Pacific. We share many of the same priorities and the same concerns, particularly when it comes to climate change. And that is reflected in our research and innovation priorities. To give just one example, look at our coral reefs. Australia and New Caledonia both have protected marine parks, and there is even a small area where they overlap.

“Collaboration at that level is an obvious choice, whether for coordinated monitoring of the parks or for developing scientific projects around observation, conservation and restoration.” 

The “From UNOC-3 to COP31” Forum you co-organised in Nouméa brought together scientists, policymakers, Indigenous leaders and development actors. What is your assessment of those few days, and why was New Caledonia the right place for this conversation at this particular moment?

Overall, the first thing I would say is that it was a good idea! It was the first time we had organised such a large event outside Australia. Even though I was playing on home ground personally, I didn’t know the New Caledonian research ecosystem particularly well, so there was no guarantee it would work.

It also wasn’t obvious that Australians would be willing to travel here using their own funding—but they did, and I didn’t have to push very hard to convince them! It was also the first time we had organised an event specifically designed to contribute to preparations for international negotiations such as the pre-COP31 and COP31. From a scientific cooperation perspective, we managed to bring around fifty speakers into the same room for three days, from different countries, disciplines and sometimes completely different sectors. And we literally saw new project ideas emerging in front of us. While one objective of the event was to produce a roadmap—which will contain substantial scientific input—our underlying goal is always cooperation. On that front, we have already succeeded. Why New Caledonia? To showcase its expertise and assets, to give it a voice in international negotiations through its scientists, and to strengthen connections between Australia and New Caledonia. And the timing was particularly relevant, with the 11th Nature Conference taking place the following week, the Australian-organised pre-COP in early October and COP31 in November under Australia’s presidency.

Beyond this first visit, what are the next objectives and practical priorities for collaboration between AFRAN and New Caledonia? Are there projects or partnerships currently being developed?

We will continue working to strengthen our Pacific Hub. The first step will be engaging participants from the conference in developing the Nouméa Roadmap. The roadmap is intended to contribute to the pre-COP and COP31, but it will also help define priorities for future research and innovation cooperation between Australia and New Caledonia. We also have members working with New Caledonia in other fields, such as health, which we didn’t really address during this event but certainly haven’t forgotten. We will also continue bringing New Caledonian researchers and experts to our events in Australia to showcase their work, as we have already been doing for several years. Finally, the conference was a first step in a partnership we have established with the Government of New Caledonia, particularly Mr Wamytan’s office and the Planning and Development Service (SAP). We are currently discussing what the next steps will look like after COP31, but I’m sure you’ll be hearing about AFRAN again soon!

During your visit, you met New Caledonian project leaders and entrepreneurs, particularly during the BlueTech session organised by French Tech at Station N. What is your view of the local ecosystem, and how do you see the relationship between scientific research and entrepreneurial innovation in an island territory such as New Caledonia?

I am genuinely fascinated by the start-ups within French Tech Nouvelle-Calédonie, and I think that before trying to convince Australians of their value, they first need to be better recognised by New Caledonians themselves. What a treasure French Tech has on its hands! For me, it is obvious that these companies have a role to play in the territory’s economic development, whether through circular economy solutions, security-related issues, or simply brilliant ideas that make everyday life easier for people in New Caledonia.

The connection with research is essential—and even more so in an island context.

Industry and academia often struggle to communicate because, quite simply, they do not speak the same language and clearly do not have the same priorities. But when that relationship works, both sides benefit.

And I emphasise the island context because resources are often much more limited, both for research and innovation. Working together allows us to pool those resources and respond collectively to the territory’s needs—whether that means food self-sufficiency, decarbonisation or revegetating former mining areas, to name just a few examples.

“In Australia, people have always admired the French capacity to connect research and industry—you only have to look at the number of patents, start-ups emerging from research, the CIFRE programme, and so on. Australia has also recently reviewed its national research strategy to strengthen links between sectors in response to the country’s major challenges: industrial decarbonisation, agriculture in the face of climate change, public health, and the race in space, AI and quantum technologies.” 

Among the New Caledonian entrepreneurs and innovative projects you discovered during your visit, which particularly caught your attention? And how do you assess their potential for partnerships or expansion in Australia?

Can I say all of them? Honestly, they caught my attention in different ways and at different scales.

Halophytes is an incredible idea for creating circularity while responding to the climate challenges facing agriculture.

With RESCO, we absolutely needed an ingenious solution for dealing with nickel slag and turning it into something economically valuable. While the project is currently more focused on abrasives, its potential for applications linked to marine activities is very promising.

MAGIS also has obvious potential. I mentioned this to them directly, but I can easily see how it could support French research vessels—such as those operated by IPEV or IFREMER—as well as Australian ones.

Tauha is crucial for a region that is likely to experience an increasing number of natural disasters.

And of course there is the media agency NeoTech / NeOcean—and that one, I have to admit, I wish I had thought of myself!

When it comes to Australia, the New Caledonian side of me would first say that we need to protect our talent and make sure its value is recognised locally before trying to export it.

That being said—and putting my AFRAN hat back on—I am convinced that, at different scales, each of these entrepreneurs could find an Australian partner who could bring additional value and help test their products in a different context.

And, incidentally, CSIRO—Australia’s equivalent of CNRS—has a Scale-up programme that is open to international entrepreneurs

Translated from Innovation NC: https://innovation.nc/interview-kimberley-coulson-afran-cooperation-scientifique-pacifique/