# Establishment of new marine science research centre of excellence

- **Source:** Ministry of National Development
- **Published:** 2026-03-04T04:00:00.000Z
- **Author:** Ministry of National Development
- **Original:** https://www.mnd.gov.sg/newsroom/press-releases/view/establishment-of-new-marine-science-research-centre-of-excellence
- **Topics:** Government & Policy, Sustainability & PropTech

## Featured rationale

Its research may improve evidence-based sea-space, coastal-protection and conservation decisions, potentially supporting development while mitigating environmental impacts on marine ecosystems.

## AI summary

NParks and NUS will establish a marine science research centre of excellence under RIE2030, with details of its $60 million programme forthcoming.

## Original article

The National Parks Board (NParks), in partnership with the National University of Singapore (NUS) as the Host Institution (HI), will establish a new marine science research centre of excellence under the Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2030 Plan (RIE2030). Further details regarding the $60 million research programme conducted at the centre will be released later this year.

Singapore's marine environment supports diverse coastal and marine habitats that provide essential ecological services including coastal protection, fisheries support, and carbon sequestration, forming an integral part of the nation's natural heritage. However, as a small island nation, Singapore faces escalating pressures from intensifying human activities, climate change, and resource requirements. Better understanding of these dynamics and developing appropriate management responses will support sustainable growth within our marine environment. An integrated research approach for interdisciplinary topics and sustained commitment to deepen and retain local capabilities in this field will be needed to effectively manage our marine ecosystems, which we will achieve through a newly established a marine science research centre of excellence.

The centre will consolidate capabilities to better leverage expertise across research institutes, universities and the industry to sustain research momentum to accelerate the growth of the marine science ecosystem. To ensure that Singapore has local capabilities with familiarity of the specialised local marine science context and environment, the centre will develop a robust pipeline of local talent that can help build capabilities across academia, industry, and government. The centre would also serve as a conduit for regional collaboration, facilitating data sharing and comparative assessments of marine health across Southeast Asia, and collective understanding of our connected waters.

The Centre will consolidate and build on existing efforts under the Marine Climate Change Science Research Programme and its predecessor, Marine Science Research & Development Programme. The centre aims to develop targeted and effective management and conservation strategies that enable marine ecosystems to withstand multiple stressors while continuing to provide essential ecosystem services. It will also deliver inter- and transdisciplinary solutions to support economic productivity with ecological resilience, ensuring that our marine and coastal resources can scale and sustain our blue economy without overexploitation or degradation.

Research efforts under the new marine science research centre of excellence will focus on three key areas, supported by technology:

Figure 1: Key areas of research efforts

• Key Area 1: Biodiversity and Nature: The centre will focus on developing a comprehensive understanding of our marine environment. It will comprise foundational research that aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of species, species functions and interactions, to inform conservation, management and policy. This research will form the basis for further and more complex research, which will in turn allow the development of solutions to emerging challenges in the longer-term.

• Key Area 2: Environment and Climate: Research to understand climate change and other anthropogenic stressors will be instrumental in developing evidence-backed approach towards development to support sustainable stewardship of Singapore's marine environment, including the curation of risk management plans for specific anthropogenic stressors that enable informed decision-making for sea space management.

• Key Area 3: Ecosystem Resilience: The centre will explore how resilience can be built on an ecosystem level to withstand future challenges, and spearhead the development of novel conservation and management strategies. While taxa-specific restoration techniques have been researched and implemented over the years for individual habitats such as coral reefs and mangroves, there is a critical need to expand this approach to include whole-of-ecosystem restoration strategies that consider future resilience against the compounding threats of temperature rise, sea level rise, and coastal development. By developing predictive models for ecosystem tipping points and creating adaptive management frameworks, this work will ensure that marine environments can withstand multiple stressors while continuing to deliver essential ecosystem services.

• Harnessing Technology: The centre will leverage cutting-edge technology that allows for more affordable and efficient data gathering and analysis through innovative monitoring, sensing and assessment systems tailored to Singapore's unique marine environment, supporting objectives in the three key areas. The enhanced monitoring systems will enable better-informed decision-making (e.g., in management of our sea-space, conservation and coastal protection, etc.) and efficient mitigation of environmental impacts.

## Chinese translation

> Translation model: grok_cli

### 设立全新海洋科学研究卓越中心

国家公园局（NParks）与作为主办机构（Host Institution，HI）的新加坡国立大学（NUS）合作，将在“研究、创新与企业2030计划”（Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2030 Plan，RIE2030）下，设立一座全新的海洋科学研究卓越中心。有关该中心将开展的6000万新元研究计划的更多细节，将于今年晚些时候公布。

新加坡的海洋环境支撑着多样的滨海与海洋栖息地，提供海岸防护、渔业支持与碳封存等重要生态服务，是国家自然遗产不可或缺的一部分。然而，作为面积狭小的岛国，新加坡正面临人类活动加剧、气候变化与资源需求上升所带来的不断加大的压力。更好地理解这些动态并制定恰当的管理应对措施，将有助于在海洋环境中实现可持续增长。要有效管理我们的海洋生态系统，需要采取跨学科议题的综合研究方法，并持续投入以深化、留住本地在该领域的能力；我们将通过新设立的海洋科学研究卓越中心来实现这一目标。

该中心将整合能力，更好地汇聚各研究机构、大学与产业界的专长，以保持研究动能，加速海洋科学生态系统的发展。为确保新加坡具备熟悉本地特有海洋科学情境与环境的本地能力，中心将打造稳健的本地人才输送管道，协助在学术界、产业界与政府中建设能力。该中心也将作为区域合作的桥梁，促进东南亚海洋健康的数据共享与比较评估，以及对我们相互连通水域的共同理解。

该中心将整合并在既有工作基础上再推进，包括“海洋气候变化科学研究计划”（Marine Climate Change Science Research Programme）及其前身“海洋科学研究与发展计划”（Marine Science Research & Development Programme）。中心旨在制定有针对性、有效的管理与保育策略，使海洋生态系统能够承受多重压力，同时继续提供关键生态系统服务。它也将交付跨学科与跨领域的解决方案，在支持经济生产力的同时提升生态韧性，确保我们的海洋与滨海资源能够扩展并支撑蓝色经济，而不致过度开发或退化。

新海洋科学研究卓越中心下的研究工作将聚焦三大关键领域，并以技术为支撑：

图1：研究工作的关键领域

• 关键领域1：生物多样性与自然：中心将着力全面认识我们的海洋环境。这包括基础研究，旨在系统理解物种、物种功能及其相互作用，为保育、管理与政策提供依据。此类研究将构成进一步、更复杂研究的基础，进而有助于在更长周期内为新兴挑战开发解决方案。

• 关键领域2：环境与气候：理解气候变化及其他人为压力源的研究，对于形成有证据支撑的发展路径、支持新加坡海洋环境的可持续管理至关重要，包括针对特定人为压力源制定风险管理计划，以便在海域空间管理中作出知情决策。

• 关键领域3：生态系统韧性：中心将探索如何在生态系统层面构建韧性，以应对未来挑战，并引领新型保育与管理策略的开发。尽管多年来已针对珊瑚礁、红树林等个别栖息地研究并实施了面向特定类群的修复技术，仍亟需将这一路径扩展为整生态系统修复策略，同时考虑未来面对气温上升、海平面上升与海岸开发等叠加威胁时的韧性。通过开发生态系统临界点预测模型并建立适应性管理框架，相关工作将确保海洋环境能够承受多重压力，同时继续提供关键生态系统服务。

• 运用技术：中心将运用尖端技术，通过专为新加坡独特海洋环境量身定制的创新监测、传感与评估系统，实现更可负担、更高效的数据采集与分析，支持上述三大关键领域的目标。增强的监测系统将有助于更明智的决策（例如海域空间管理、保育与海岸防护等），并高效减缓环境影响。