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| An entrance sign at Akwa Ibom State University’s Obio Akpa campus. File photograph, 2025. Andikan Efiok Eduok / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. |
Akwa Ibom State University has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, covering scholarships, research exchanges and the development of joint laboratories.
The agreement, signed on Tuesday, 10 November, provides for cooperation in marine sciences and related disciplines. It also covers laboratory bench work and joint applications for research funding, according to AKSU’s announcement.
The university’s Director of Advancement, International Collaborations and Linkages, Dr Ini-ibehe Nabuk, identified student exchanges as a central part of the arrangement. He said students would have opportunities to visit both institutions for research.
The partnership brings AKSU into collaboration with the Qingdao-based research institute, commonly known as IOCAS. The institutions identified marine chemistry, marine geology, marine biology, physical oceanography and marine engineering among the fields expected to benefit.
Their proposed cooperation also extends to biochemistry, microbiology, biotechnology, and materials science and engineering. The announcement leaves room for collaboration in other areas of mutual interest.
AKSU Vice-Chancellor Professor Otoabasi Akpan said the agreement formed part of the university’s wider international collaborations. He expressed the expectation that these relationships would strengthen its research activities and academic visibility outside Nigeria.
During the visit, the AKSU delegation met IOCAS Director Professor Fan Wang and researcher Professor Zhang Ruiyong, alongside other directors, researchers, staff and students at the institute.
The delegation’s itinerary included an academic lecture by Professor Chunli Bai, a former president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Akpan and his team also toured Navy Park in Huangdao, Qingdao.
The team visited research facilities concerned with advanced marine materials and the institute’s Laboratory of Marine Environmental Corrosion and Bio-fouling.
IOCAS describes the laboratory’s research as covering corrosion in marine environments, biological fouling and technologies for protecting materials. Its work includes examining how microorganisms affect materials and developing protective coatings and other corrosion-control methods.
AKSU’s announcement did not specify scholarship allocations, application requirements, funding amounts or dates for the proposed exchanges. It outlined the areas covered by the agreement without providing a timetable for establishing the joint laboratories.