As an outcome of the maiden Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) Oceanographers and Hydrographers conference held at Goa and Hyderabad in November 2022, CSIR-NIO-Goa conducted a month-long certificate course in Oceanography, starting from 15 January 2024. Participants from Sri Lanka, Mauritius, and Seychelles attended this course.

During the course, scientific inquiry was made through class discussions and coursework; the participants also discussed the impact of climate change on the Indian Ocean and worldwide. Altogether, 58 CSIR-NIO scientists were involved in teaching and mentoring coursework. In the first half of the day, participants dedicated time to understanding numerous aspects of oceanography and discussed how they interact with one another.  Topics covered include marine biology, the chemistry and the physics of ocean water, seafloor geology & topography, ocean engineering, marine instrumentation, Archaeology, etc. In the afternoon session, participants dedicated time to building expertise in their area of interest. Participants were also taken to other ocean-related institutes in the state to broaden their horizons, such as NIH and NCPOR.

During the welcome address, Prof. Sunil Kumar Singh, Director, CSIR-NIO, spoke about strengthening bilateral partnerships with the littoral nations to understand the Indian Ocean Region.

This was followed by participants sharing what they had learned and insights they gained during the course and the need to collaborate to deepen our understanding of the Indian Ocean.

Later, Prof. Sunil Kumar Singh distributed certificates to the participants. Dr Manguesh Uttam Gauns, Senior Principal Scientist & Head, Biological Oceanography Division, coordinated the course.