The Nippon Foundation-POGO Visiting Professorship Programme was initiated in January 2004 as a partnership between POGO and the Nippon Foundation. The Nippon Foundation supports various philanthropic activities in over 100 countries in areas such as overseas cooperative assistance, maritime development (including international capacity and network building projects) and social welfare.
The primary goal of the NF-POGO Visiting Professorship programme was to contribute to long-term, sustained, capacity building through the facilitation and interpretation of ocean observations in developing countries. The visibility and prestige of the Nippon Foundation would also be enhanced on an international scale. The programme allowed for extended visits of an experienced oceanographer to visit a developing country to provide training and mentoring to young ocean scientists. Enhancement of networking among oceanographic institutes was also an objective.
Funding from the Nippon Foundation allowed for two Visiting Professors per year, over a period of three years (total of six Visiting Professors), to provide training in their own area of speciality. The programme was completed at the end of 2007. Each professor spent from three to six months with local scientists and students, giving lectures, advising them on purchase, maintenance and operation of instrumentation, performing hands-on field work, participating in the analysis and interpretation of collected data and generating added value for national management and international needs.
The programme covered all expenses including the travel and living expenses of visiting professor and supporting team, the travel and living expenses of the participating students and scientists, and the purchase of specialised equipment when essential for maintaining the integrity of the programme.