New $60m marine science institute launched to help Singapore, region with ocean challenges

SINGAPORE – A landmark national research initiative on marine science was officially launched on , with a remit to help Singapore and the broader South-east Asian region deal with challenges ranging from coastal development to climate change.

The $60 million National Institute of Marine and Ocean Sciences, dubbed NIMOS, is established by National Parks Board (NParks) with the National University of Singapore (NUS).

The previous two marine science research programmes were five-year programmes funded to the tune of $25 million each. Both programmes focused more on applying science to domestic challenges, such as identifying sustainable engineering measures and solutions to create new marine habitats.

The launch event at the NUS University Hall Auditorium was attended by Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat, as well as some 150 researchers, university representatives and government officials.

NIMOS director Huang Danwei, a coral biologist, said the launch of the new institute comes as several changes are expected in Singapore’s sea spaces. Regionally, too, the waters of South-east Asia are under stress from coastal development and climate change.

In Singapore, Huang pointed to the recently announced at the nearby Lazarus-South Kusu reef. The second marine park was first announced in May 2024, but has not been officially gazetted.

Said Huang: “As a small, highly urbanised island nation at the centre of one of the world’s most intensively used marine regions, Singapore can serve as a living laboratory for the future of tropical coastal environments.“Our goal is therefore larger than understanding Singapore’s seas. It is to develop the science and tools for sustaining marine ecosystems alongside economic development – solutions that Singapore can demonstrate locally and contribute to a rapidly changing South-east Asia.”He noted that coastal cities in South-east Asia are expanding and becoming more urbanised, taking the path that Singapore took years earlier.

Huang added that Singapore has played a prominent role in https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/new-60m-marine-science-institute-launched-to-help-singapore-region-with-ocean-challenges?utm_source=chatgpt.com