Issue date: 20 February 2026

 

China Ocean Mineral Resources R&D Association (COMRA) pursuant to its contract for exploration for cobalt-rich crust, signed with the International Seabed Authority (ISA) on 29 April 2014, is offering two engineering training opportunities to candidates from developing States within it in 2026 training programme.

TRAINING PROGRAMME OVERVIEW:

The training is scheduled to take place in Qingdao, China, for approximately 30 days between August and September 2026 (exact dates will be communicated to selected candidates well in advance for preparation purposes). It will be hosted by COMRA in collaboration with the National Deep Sea Center (NDSC). This engineering programme will equip trainees with relevant knowledge and skills pertaining to exploration, environmental impact assessment, beneficiation and metallurgical processing, and mining technology of cobalt-rich crusts. The programme aims to help trainees establish a fundamental knowledge system in international deep-sea laws and policies, deep-sea environment and ecology, deep-sea technology and equipment, and operational practices, thereby enhancing their comprehensive understanding of the entire chain of deep-sea resource exploration and exploitation.

ELIGIBILITY:

Candidates should meet the following criteria:

  • Education: Hold a bachelor’s and/or master’s degree, or equivalent education, in marine geology, marine geophysics, marine environment (including biology or ecology), or marine technology and equipment.
  • Professional Experience: Candidates must have work experience or hold a position relevant to the training content.
  • Language proficiency: Good command of the English language (spoken and written).
  • Health: good health, holding a health certificate issued by a medical institution.
  • Age: Under the age of 45.
  • Technical capability: Possess some research or management skills.

 

COST BEARING

COMRA will cover costs directly related to the trainees including:

  • Travel: Round-trip international airfare (economy class).
  • Accommodation and meals while in China for training period
  • Insurance: Personal accident insurance for the training period
  • Visa Support: Visa cost, if required.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

The selected candidates will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement with COMRA as well as ISA’s Contractors Training Programme Code of Conduct for Trainees prior to the start of the programme.

No later than four (4) weeks after the training has ended, each trainee shall submit an end-of-training report to COMRA and ISA outlining, amongst other things, the training completed, the benefits of the training opportunity, the knowledge gained and how the training will advance their career/educational pursuits.

Upon successful completion of the programme, trainees shall receive a certificate from ISA.

Trainees shall also be required to submit a supplementary report to ISA five (5) years after the training has been completed, to allow for an assessment of the long-term benefits of the programme.

HOW TO APPLY

All interested applicants are invited to register and submit their applications on the Authority  CTP Application Portal, along with their supporting documents, including:

  • A recent coloured passport sized photo
  • A copy of current passport biopage
  • Duly completed and signed nomination form [docx | pdf] by the nominating entity
  • Copy of degree(s) and/or relevant certificate(s)
  • Copy of CV or Resume
  • Proof of English competence, as required
  • Proof of research or management skills
  • If selected, proof of medical certificate

Applicants must select the following options when applying for this training opportunity on the Application Portal:

 

Contractor Name:     China Ocean Mineral Resources R&D Association (COMRA)/CFC

Year:                                       2026

Programme Name:    Engineering

Specialization:                       N/A

 

Application Deadline: 3 April 2026. Late or incomplete applications will not be processed.

 

One of the Voluntary Commitments registered by the Authority at the 2017 UN Ocean Conference (#OceanAction 40768) and reiterated at the 2022 UN Ocean Conference aims at “Advancing women’s empowerment in marine scientific research”– As partner of the Women in Deep-Sea Research project (WIDSR), COMRA has pledged to allocate 50% of the training opportunities to qualified women applicants.