The Marine and Antarctic Research for Innovation and Sustainability (Maris) is the new interdisciplinary center for Marine and Antarctic Science projects, involving multiple departments within the University of Cape Town: Biological Sciences, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Oceanography.
The centre is an aggregator of competence and expertise that considers academic and technological knowledge in relation to societal benefits, with the overarching aim of enhancing the production of knowledge and human capacity in marine and Antarctic research.
Main objectives:
- Collaborate with national and international research projects;
- Support students and their integration into the academic environment, particularly supporting interdisciplinarity to address complex problems in interconnected marine systems;
- Develop technological and innovative solutions to interdisciplinary marine problems and for extreme conditions like the polar environment;
- Promote and maintain post-graduate training courses, including interdisciplinary curricula such as the Applied Ocean Sciences Master course;
- Contribute to national programmes and infrastructure (e.g., DST SARIR programmes such as BIOGRIP, SAPRI)
- Serve as a single marine entry point to UCT, facilitating interactions with stakeholders and potential partners.