26. July 2017 Future Ocean International Conference Week

The 'Advances in Integrated Ocean Research towards Sustainable Development' conference brought to Kiel different groups of scientists from places as far flung as Kendari, Indonesia and as close as Hamburg. Research alumni of the marine sciences in Kiel and early career marine scientists around the globe met with many marine researchers currently working in Kiel. In a side event, forty-three proponents of projects in the Future Ocean Postdoc Project Proposal Call 2017 presented and discussed their project ideas with the Kiel marine science community.

The participation of fifteen alumni in the conference was supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) within the framework of the Alumni Program. Continuing education and training in the sense of lifelong learning, and the initiation and deepening of expert and professional contacts are the primary focus of the funding scheme and aim at targeting alumni worldwide. As is true of other higher education and research institutions in Germany, marine science in Kiel has made significant efforts to keep in touch with alumni, garnering support from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) through funding from the Federal Foreign Office.

A special feature of the conference was the participation of twelve early career researchers from around the world supported by the Joachim Herz Foundation. With the program 'Begegnungszonen' the foundation acknowledges that interdisciplinary research requires communication and supportive networks. The Cluster received funding from the Herz Foundation to bring these international early career scientists to Kiel to establish new contacts with the Kiel marine science community. One aim was also to learn new approaches and presentation methods. The conference participants enjoyed their experimentation with innovative presentation methods including pecha kucha, powtoon and poster pitches.
The conference featured keynotes from alumni and a prominent voice in the current sustainability discussions, R. Andreas Kraemer, founding director of the Berlin think tank Ecologic and scholar at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies in Potsdam, who spoke on "Sustainable Ocean Economy, Innovation and Growth: A G20 Initiative for the 7th Largest Economy in the World."

The selection symposium of the Postdoc Project Proposal Call 2017 was embedded in the conference and the presentations of the project proponents ran the gamut of marine related disciplines: From oceanography to microbiology, law of the sea to big data, sociology to education and everything in between. All in all definitely a highlight in the Cluster calendar in 2017 and 'very pleasing to see candidates engage with others. There were intense discussions but there were also jokes. It was a buzzing crowd full of energy and ideas' ' summarizes Prof. Martin Thiel, Coquimbo, Chile one of the Kiel marine sciences alumni.