NANO members and NF-POGO CofE alumni Sebastian Krieger, Kumar Nimit, Subrata Sarker, Essowé Panassa and Lilian Krug published the following article in the special issue of Oceanography magazine “A Vision for Capacity Sharing in the Ocean Sciences”
Impact and Insights from the NF–POGO Centre of Excellence in Observational Oceanography: A Trainee Perspective
Krieger, S., K. Nimit, S. Sarker, W.E. Panassa, and L.A. Krug. 2025. Impact and insights from the NF–POGO Centre of Excellence in Observational Oceanography: A trainee perspective. Oceanography 38(1), https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2025.128.
Introduction
The Nippon Foundation–Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean (NF–POGO) Centre of Excellence (CofE) has provided advanced training in observational oceanography since 2008. Each year, a cohort of 10 scholars is selected to participate in this 10-month postgraduate-level program, which consists of expert-led instruction and hands-on experience. The CofE targets early-career ocean professionals (ECOPs), primarily from developing economies, and addresses global disparities in oceanographic expertise and resources, offering scholars unique opportunities.
The NF–POGO CofE partners with leading ocean science institutions—members of POGO—to host the training for three- to five-year terms. Since its inception, the CofE program has been hosted by the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (Phase I: 2008–2012) and the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (Phase II: 2013–2019 and Phase III: 2020–2024). The program is currently in Phase IV, which began in October 2024 and is hosted by a Canadian consortium consisting of the Ocean Frontier Institute, Dalhousie University, Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University, and the Hakai Institute, with scholars rotating among these institutions. The program provides full support for travel and living expenses, enabling scholars to focus on their training without financial burdens.
During Phases I, II, and III, the program trained 140 researchers from 50 countries. Alumni remain engaged through the NF–POGO Alumni Network for the Ocean (NANO), established in 2010 to maximize the impact of training via networking, collaborative outreach, and research (e.g., Krug et al., 2021).
Link for the publication here.