12 universities launch Lesser Sunda marine science hub partnership

Labuan Bajo — Twelve universities from Indonesia and Timor-Leste have formalised a new Lesser Sunda Seascape Science Hub–University Partnership to strengthen science-based ocean action across one of the Coral Triangle’s key marine corridors, according to the International Climate Initiative and the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF).

The universities signed a Memorandum of Agreement in Bali in October 2025, establishing the Science Hub under the CTI-CFF framework with support from the International Climate Initiative’s SOMACORE (Solutions for Marine and Coastal Resilience in the Coral Triangle) programme.

The Lesser Sunda Seascape covers waters around Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara and Timor-Leste, as well as parts of Southwest Maluku. According to the International Climate Initiative, the area hosts rich marine biodiversity and supports millions of coastal livelihoods while facing pressures from climate change, unsustainable fishing and other human activities.

Universities and research focus

The new Science Hub builds on a CTI-CFF university partnership that has been developed since 2017 to connect academic work with marine conservation and food security goals in the Coral Triangle, according to CTI-CFF and Indonesia’s Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries.

The partnership brings together ten universities from Indonesia — Nusa Cendana University, Artha Wacana Christian University, Muhammadiyah University of Kupang, Tribuana Kalabahi University, Pattimura University, Kupang State Agricultural Polytechnic, Udayana University, Mataram University, Defense University and Sam Ratulangi University — and two from Timor-Leste, Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosa’e and Universidade Oriental Timor-Lorosa’e.

According to the International Climate Initiative, the Science Hub is designed as a collaborative platform for universities, government agencies and development partners to advance marine and fisheries research, strengthen academic capacity and produce scientific outputs that inform sustainable ocean governance.

CTI-CFF reports that the Memorandum of Agreement provides a framework for multi-institutional and multidisciplinary collaboration on research, student and expert exchanges, capacity building, field training, data sharing and science-to-policy engagement within the Lesser Sunda Seascape.

Policy links and SOMACORE support

The International Climate Initiative states that the Science Hub aims to generate science-based policy recommendations that support blue-economy development, improve coastal community well-being and contribute to the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 on life below water.

In a separate update, SOMACORE partners including Konservasi Indonesia and Conservation International Timor-Leste note that the programme has supported the signing of Memorandums of Agreement with 12 universities and CTI-CFF, turning regional commitments into local impact in the Lesser Sunda Seascape.

The International Climate Initiative’s German-language coverage adds that Konservasi Indonesia will support the Science Hub with a series of grants for capacity building, training and research, channelled through SOMACORE. No public sources consulted specify total funding amounts, individual project budgets or detailed grant criteria.

Regional relevance and timeline

For East Nusa Tenggara and the wider Lesser Sunda Seascape, CTI-CFF describes the Science Hub as part of a broader effort to implement a joint workplan and the CTI-CFF Regional Plan of Action 2.0 for 2021–2030, including strengthened management connectivity in the Ombai Strait and enhanced protection for migratory marine species.

CTI-CFF reporting on the October 2025 international seminar on SDG 14 notes that the Bali event produced the Memorandum of Agreement for the Lesser Sunda Seascape Science Hub and that partners are preparing an LSS Science Hub Plan of Action for 2025–2030, along with a coordinated research calendar and joint fieldwork in priority sites.

Regional partners, including Indonesia’s Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, have highlighted the university partnership as a driver of blue economy and cross-border marine research in the Coral Triangle, and have signalled plans to link the Lesser Sunda Seascape Science Hub with other science hubs in the Bismarck Solomon Seas and Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape.

Public information available so far does not name specific initial field sites or projects within Komodo National Park or the Komodo–Labuan Bajo seascape. The partnership nonetheless sets an institutional foundation for universities in East Nusa Tenggara and Timor-Leste to collaborate on marine science that can inform conservation, fisheries management and coastal resilience across the wider Lesser Sunda region.

Sources

• International Climate Initiative – Universities Unite for Science-Based Ocean Action in Lesser Sunda Seascape
• Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security – International Seminar on the Implementation of SDG 14
• SOMACORE in the Coral Triangle – LinkedIn post
• IUCN – Resilient Seascapes for People and Nature in the Coral Triangle: Scaling Solutions through SOMACORE and the IUCN Green List