An added virtue of the Centre for the trainees is that by being in the courses at ITCOocean, they are encouraged (and in fact facilitated) to opportunistically join and interact at large gatherings of international scientists / marine managers / decision makers that may happen to be part of relevant conferences at the site: ITCOocean has two in-situ 400+ seating conference rooms. Provision is always made for trainees to be able to attend as observers during such conferences and meetings. Through these coincidences, trainees have been able to interact with prospective mentors, colleagues and avail themselves of opportunities to develop lasting relationships through the vehicle of marine science, possibly assisting with career direction, choice, and opportunities. In the same way, the friendly and collegiate atmosphere created by the trainees living and interacting at close quarters for extended periods on site means that professional relationships can develop across cultures, acting as the foundation for longer lasting relationships that may manifest throughout their respective careers as they cross paths again in bi or multi-lateral initiatives that would benefit from their former experiences and understandings of each other from during their earlier ITCOocean days.

 

On the issue of resources, it is notable and commendable that the annualised financial input allocated to ITCOocean by the Indian Government well exceeded the set minimum. In fact, compared to its base requirement of 6 x $600K USD for the period, the actual total financial input of ~$8.3M USD represents over 200% of the minimum that was specified. This funding followed the building of the large multi-function administration block specifically as the ITCOocean training facility, including offices, classrooms, modern e-meeting facilities, bio-physical instrument, and wet-dry analysis laboratories, 2 x 400+ seat conference rooms with external areas for displays, expos and catering, and more. That building cost more than $10M USD to build. Furthermore, over 45 senior and associated INCOIS scientific support staff (including IT / comms) and administrative assistants were engaged to be trainers and facilitators, with a further nine senior international scientists also providing their services as trainers during the period. The ITCOocean training facilities in the administration block is complemented by purpose built (for the C2C) on-site accommodation (known as the guest house) with associated dining and recreational facilities. It is also to be noted that in addition to the more than 45 scientifically based training related personnel, INCOIS’s underpinning operational staff support (housekeeping, cooking, cleaning, transport, security on site etc) amounts to a further substantial contribution of resources in support of ITCOocean resources.

 

It is notable and commendable how well the Centre coped during the challenging COVID-19 era, maintaining its functionality through running many courses for thousands of trainees using its highly modern and accessible virtual meeting facilities.

 

The Centre’s Governance was well framed and employed throughout, as required and with appropriate representation, due diligence, and regularity of meetings, with accurate recording, financial data and financially auditable reporting characterising its execution.