MSC Foundation and University of The Bahamas Expand Partnership for Marine Research and Education

The MSC Foundation and UB celebrated a significant milestone in their ongoing partnership with the opening in 2025 of the Small Island Sustainability (SIS) laboratory at UB’s Oakes Field Campus in Nassau. The SIS programme is the world’s only academic programme focused exclusively on small island sustainability.

With support from the Foundation, the SIS laboratory increases UB’s capacity to advance small-island-focused research while providing students with the training and resources to study the environmental challenges facing The Bahamas. The facility offers hands-on learning opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students, enabling them to extend applied research to the nation’s critical priorities alongside faculty members.

On its opening day, the MSC Foundation’s Executive Director, Daniela Picco, toured the facility alongside SIS faculty and students — emphasizing the role scientific research plays in strengthening local understanding and protection of marine biodiversity.

The SIS lab is one of several initiatives that connect students at UB with field experience and MSC Foundation scientists at Ocean Cay. Through immersive coral study visits at the MSC Foundation’s Marine Conservation Center, students have participated in real-time coral conservation and marine monitoring activities, gaining exposure to active restoration efforts in The Bahamas.

In tandem, for-credit internships are also being created through formal agreements between the MSC Foundation, UB and the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI). The internships are intended to ensure regular exchanges of marine science and conservation expertise.