From August 18 to 20, 2025, the IOW is hosting a visit by a high-ranking delegation from Goa University in India. Led by the university's vice chancellor, Harilal Bhaskara Menon, the Indian guests are paying a return visit to the institute to further deepen cooperation in the field of marine coastal research. This cooperation was initiated in February of this year when an IOW delegation visited India to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU).

The three-day working meeting kicked off with Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's Minister of Science Bettina Martin and IOW Director Oliver Zielinski welcoming the guests to the institute in Warnemünde. "I am delighted that the IOW has found a strong partner in the University of Goa. Despite the great distance between them, Goa and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, as coastal states, both have a keen interest in advancing marine and climate research,“ said the minister. ”For the IOW, cooperation with Goa University in the field of coastal research is of strategic importance in the context of internationalization,” Oliver Zielinski emphasized in his welcoming remarks.

In addition to Vice Chancellor Menon, himself a renowned marine scientist, the delegation includes Jivan Shrikrishna Parab, Professor of Electronics, botanist Siddhi Kashinath Jalmi, and marine scientist Sheryl Oliveira Fernandes. In preparation for the joint research activities, they are meeting with IOW experts from various disciplines in working groups and one-on-one meetings and will also undertake excursions in Rostock to get to know other research facilities. This include a visit of the IOW research vessel “Elisabeth Mann Borgese” and the institute's storage and logistics site in Rostock's fishing port, various facilities at the University of Rostock, and the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency.

The research collaboration between the IOW and Goa University is planned for a five-year period. It will focus on topics such as the effects of climate change, extreme weather events like floods, droughts, and marine heatwaves, as well as anthropogenic stress factors and their influence on important ecosystem services provided by estuaries and coastal waters. The development of innovative monitoring technologies is another main focus, particularly in the areas of in-situ optics, remote sensing, and autonomous measurement robotics. Modern data science and modeling also play a major role. In addition, the MoU creates a framework for promoting guest stays for researchers, teachers, and students, as well as the exchange of materials and research results.