Developing Capacity for Ocean Science Through Visiting Fellowships

The Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean (POGO) and the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) have been running a Visiting Fellowship program in ocean observations that has trained 200 fellows since its inception in 2001. We report here on the medium- and long-term impacts of the training, as demonstrated by a combination of quantitative results from evaluation questionnaires and qualitative reports from fellows and supervisors. The key findings are that the fellowships have had positive impacts on the fellows themselves (e.g., participation in new research projects, implementation of new techniques, long-term collaborations), as well as “training the trainers,” with most fellows indicating that they had passed on the knowledge gained. Benefits to the host supervisor and institution are also apparent through continued collaborations (e.g., reciprocal exchange visits, joint publications, joint projects). More widespread impacts are evident, where fellows have become key participants in the international scientific community.