General Mission

In 2012, GEOMAR and the Instituto Nacional de Desenvolvimento das Pescas (INDP, named today Instituto do Mar, IMar) signed a Memorandum of Understanding and took up the planning towards the Ocean Science Centre Mindelo (OSCM). As a permanent modern research hub, the OSCM has the aim to provide a multifunctional basis for long-term ocean observation and field research in the tropical Northeast Atlantic region and to create opportunities to strengthen capacities and academic education in West Africa.

After completion of a two and a half years construction phase, the OSCM opened its doors to the international scientific community in November 2017. With its associated research infrastructures of the Cape Verde Ocean Observatory (CVOO), the Cape Verde Atmosphere Observatory (CVAO) and the Research Vessel ISLANDIA it seeks to attract a wide range of research projects in the region with a special focus on West Africa and the tropical Northeast Atlantic and serve as a platform for knowledge exchange and networking across the Atlantic Ocean.