Kochi to host Indian Ocean assn’s centre

The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), a platform of 21 countries bordering the Indian Ocean, is to set up a Centre of Excellence in Kochi.

IORA is a regional forum of countries, tripartite in nature, bringing together representatives of the government, business and academia for promoting co-operation and closer interaction among Indian Ocean-bordering countries. Its headquarters is at Ebene, Mauritius.

The opening of the IORA Centre of Excellence in Kochi is aimed at facilitating the exchange of research findings and studies in the field of fisheries and ocean studies among its member nations.

IORA is considering Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) as partner to set up the centre in Kochi. If the partnership proposal is executed, KUFOS’ main campus, located at Panangad, near Kochi, will host the IORA Centre of Excellence.

To evaluate the possibilities of establishing Centre of Excellence, an IORA delegation, comprising Sanjay Pande, Joint Secretary, Dept of Foreign Affairs and also the Indian chief of IORA, and Ashima Chaturvedi, Officer on Special Duty, visited KUFOS. The delegation held discussions with the researchers at KUFOS and teachers under the leadership of the Vice-Chancellor, A Ramachandran.

The main objective of the proposed Centre of Excellence in Kochi is to assure that there is no duplication of efforts by member countries in the research and allied activity areas related to fisheries and ocean studies.

The Centre of Excellence will be digitally linked with IORA’s member countries, and researchers belonging to each member country can access data and information stored in the centre.

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