NCPOR, New Zealand university forge Antarctic research pact

Panaji: The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) has signed a five-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) with New Zealand’s University of Canterbury to strengthen bilateral cooperation in Antarctic and polar research.

The collaboration coincides with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to New Zealand and signals that the two countries’ strategic partnership now extends to Antarctica.The MoU provides a framework for joint research projects, academic exchanges, and mobility of researchers and students. Key areas of collaboration include climate modelling, atmospheric science, polar biodiversity, ocean sciences, digital technologies for Antarctic studies, and Antarctic policy and governance.

The partnership is significant as both India and New Zealand are consultative parties to the Antarctic Treaty, giving them voting rights on decisions concerning the continent.“This partnership can be considered as a strategic bilateral collaboration that combines the complementary strengths of India and New Zealand in Antarctica,” said NCPOR director Thamban Meloth.NCPOR brings decades of experience in Antarctic expeditions and coordinates India’s national polar research programmes, while the University of Canterbury contributes internationally recognised expertise in polar, ocean, atmospheric and Earth system sciences.

The collaboration was initiated in Oct last year when Meloth attended the Antarctic season opening in Christchurch. It was followed by a University of Canterbury delegation visiting India in Jan for detailed discussions.“By leveraging these complementary strengths, the partnership will promote collaborative research, knowledge exchange, technology development and enhanced scientific capacity in polar and Earth system sciences,” said NCPOR group director for polar sciences Rahul Mohan.The partnership comes at a time when climate change is accelerating ice melt and transforming polar ecosystems, while Antarctica is also assuming greater geopolitical significance amid increasing global competition for influence in the region.