Bermuda is to become a global lynchpin in the fight against climate change as the home of the first oceanographic Centre of Excellence.

The Island is leading the curve in the dissemination of knowledge after the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) was picked from among institutions around the world as the location for the venture.

The Partnership for Observations of the Global Oceans (POGO) Centre of Excellence will expand oceanographic skills and research to developing nations, so encouraging greater international collaboration in monitoring the marine environment.

The first intake of ten students arrived at BIOS last month from Angola, Tunisia, Venezuela, Pakistan, India, Portugal, Ghana, Nigeria, the Philippines and Brazil.

This week they were officially welcomed to the Island at a reception attended by distinguished international scientists, Government representatives and dignitaries. The event, held at Camden, marked the official launch of the Centre of Excellence – a five-year programme sponsored by the Japanese philanthropic organisation the Nippon Foundation.

Dr. Anthony Knap, BIOS president and director, said: "This is the first such centre in the world and BIOS is truly honoured.

"We are grateful to the Nippon Foundation for having the foresight to fund such an important programme to network ocean measurements worldwide and build sustainability for this planet to protect one of our most important resources – the ocean."

Dr. Knap told The Royal Gazette: "The quality of these students, both intellectually and energy-wise, is just phenomenal. Some of these countries have big issues with their coastal environment but many don't even have oceanography courses in their universities, so this is an opportunity for them to go back and become leaders in their countries."

He added: "Unless we have people working together we will never get the solutions to the world's problems.

"Getting representatives from these very important countries to actually start to build capacity in a meaningful way, it will make people start to believe in the importance of the ocean and preserving the marine environment.

"Student Nimit DJ (from India) said: "You can stop a disease by giving a person a vaccine, but you can't vaccinate the world, and this problem of global climate change, there's no vaccine available globally.

"But one of these vaccines is knowing and spreading our knowledge and this is what this Centre is all about."

Environment Minister El James said: "These scholars are the people who will be forming major decisions for us in the future. "Here in Bermuda we have always thought of ourselves as a centre of excellence for so many reasons – our world-class tourism product, our world-renowned financial services industry, and the natural beauty that surrounds us.

"We have also been fortunate to have the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences call the Island home for more than 100 years. This partnership has led to the oceans around Bermuda being the most studied and observed anywhere on earth.

"I am happy to report that others are keen to be a part of Bermuda's reputation as a centre of excellence.

"The world will benefit from this Centre – we will become a centre of information when it comes to ocean sciences.

"This exciting new venture promises to expand the worldwide capacity and expertise in observing the oceans and to expand capacity-building projects, promote international collaboration and networking in ocean sciences."

Addressing the Nippon Foundation representatives, Mr. James said: "On behalf of Bermuda and the Government I would like to thank you for choosing Bermuda. I don't think you will have found a better place."

Dr. Kiyoshi Suyehiro, executive director of oceanographic institution Jamstec Japan and the incoming chair of POGO, said: "I am very proud the Nippon Foundation has taken on this project of nurturing and funding scholars from around the globe. They will be making history and there will be others to follow."

He told The Royal Gazette: "This Centre is important in the fight against global warming. It is a long task but it has to start now and I hope this kind of endeavour will scale up."

Dr. Suyehiro said BIOS was chosen for the first Centre of Excellence due to its compact nature and easy access to deep ocean environments.

"Many renowned institutions wanted to become a Centre of Excellence but I think we made the right decision," he said.

"BIOS has a friendly atmosphere and is not too big, so the scholars can associate with all the members and feel part of the institution.

"It's also very unique with the time-series (BATS) and in being able to get to the real deep waters so quickly. In Japan we have to sail for more than a day to get out to where we want to go."

Nippon Foundation executive director Dr. Masazumi Nagamitsu said: "Just like Bermuda, Japan is an island country completely surrounded by water, and the Japanese have been receiving benefits from the ocean since ancient times.

"Taking the current necessity of conservation of the marine environment and management of marine resources into consideration, the Nippon Foundation believes that we must start to secure the ocean rather than just continuing to receive benefits from it.

"We know that securing the ocean is almost impossible to be carried out by one country or one region, but it requires collaboration, regardless of national boundaries, between the people with an international view.

"The Nippon Foundation holds great expectations of the Centre of Excellence and hopes that it will become an international human resource development base for oceanography.

"We are looking forward to the first cohort of ten fellows to complete the programme and become leaders in ocean observation in their respective countries."

Dr. Nagamitsu told The Royal Gazette: "This Centre is very important for collaboration between scientists from developed and developing countries, to find the solutions for developing countries. BIOS is a very good environment where we can start to nurture these scholars who will help in the future."

Commenting on the Centre's contribution to the fight against global warming, he said: "It will take a long time but we have to start step by step, so this is a good and important starting point."