Issue date: 14 April 2025 

China Ocean Mineral Resources R&D Association (COMRA) in accordance with its exploration contract for cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts signed with the International Seabed Authority on 29 April 2014 is offering eight (8) training opportunities for candidates from developing States to participate in a Fellowship within its 2025 training programme.

TRAINING PROGRAMME OVERVIEW:

The training will be hosted by COMRA and organized by the National Deep Center (NDSC). NDSC in collaboration with Ocean University of China has jointly design a training programme that will equip trainees with relevant knowledge and skills in the 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. The fellowship is scheduled to take place in Qingdao, China, tentatively between September and December 2025, for a period of approximately three months.

ELIGIBILITY:

Candidates should meet the following criteria:

  • Educational Background: 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: Candidate must have work experience or hold a position relevant to the training content
  • Language Proficiency: Good command of the English language both spoken and written
  • Health: In 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 bear the related expenses of the trainees including:

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

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

The selected candidates will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement with COMRA as well as the Authority’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 the Authority 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. The report shall also include key performance indicators to assess the effectiveness of the training activities.

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

Trainees shall also be required to submit a supplementary report to the Authority 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 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

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:                                  2025

Programme Name:     Fellowship

Specialization:             N/A

Application Deadline:  20 May 2025. 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.