C4RE Services is an independent, multi-disciplinary consulting firm for policy, research, and implementing institutes working on advanced research, skill development, and education toward sustainable environment and economic growth. C4RE Services as a consultancy firm specializing in conducting surveys and providing IT-enabled services in the country and beyond since 2016, carries out research and promotes post-graduate (Master’s, Doctoral, and Post-doctoral) research works on physical and biological oceanography, changing sea level, coastal circulation, and changes in ecosystem dynamics for present and future global warming scenarios to the benefit of coastal peoples addressing infrastructure, policy and management issues.

BCAS is an independent, non-profit, non-government, policy, research, and implementation institute working on sustainable development (SD) at local, national, regional, and global levels. BCAS addresses sustainable development through four interactive themes: (a) environment and climate development integration, including coastal studies (b) good governance and people’s participation, (c) poverty alleviation and sustainable livelihoods and (d) economic growth, public-private partnership, and sustainable market. BCAS was established in 1986, and over the years has grown to become a leading institute in the non-government sector in Bangladesh and South Asia.

NERSC is a non-profit research foundation established in 1986 in affiliation with the University of Bergen. NERSC performs integrated oceanographic, marine ecosystem, environmental and climate research funded by the Research Council of Norway, EU, space agencies and industries. The Nansen Center in Bergen has initiated Nansen Centers in St. Petersburg, Russia. Beijing, China, Cape Town, South Africa, Cochin, India and now also in Dhaka, Bangladesh coordinated by the Nansen Scientific Society in Bergen. In cooperation with centers in South Africa and India extensive oceanographic investigation including modeling of the circulations and sea level variation in the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal have recently been carried out.

The vision of the Nansen Scientific Society is through education and research on global environment and climate problems, including their impacts on society, for young people from different nations and cultures to provide a foundation for greater understanding and co-existence in the word – in the spirit of Dr. Fridtjof Nansen.

The Foundation finances and coordinates the “Nansen Fellowship Program” for education and research for young people in order to create lasting long-term international relations and a better world. Further, it initiates, finance, and coordinate innovative research ideas, research projects, and research expeditions within the Nansen Group as well as with other scientific and funding partners, specifically in developing countries with significant environmental and climate problems. The results of the scientific activities will be published in cooperation with the Nansen Group in quality journals and books.

The Institute of Marine Sciences and Fisheries (IMSF) is the premiere academic institute in the field of marine science study in Bangladesh. It has earned an international reputation in professional education and research. IMSF was first established as the Department of Marine Biology and Oceanography in 1971. In 1983, the University of Chittagong approved the conversion of the Department of Marine Biology and Oceanography into the Institute of Marine Sciences. IMSF of the University of Chittagong is the lone institution of its kind in Bangladesh, and awards undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in Marine Science and related disciplines. It maintains close relations with the Chittagong Port Authority and Bangladesh Navy for their deep sea voyages, hydrographical surveys, and relevant studies. They have a close relationship with the Bangladesh Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization (SPARRSO) for their education and research programs.

The Institute of Forestry, Chittagong University (IFCU) was established in 1976 as pioneering institute in the field within the Faculty of Sciences of the University. The Institute has been renamed as the Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, Chittagong University (IFESCU) since July 1996. The institute provides teaching, training, and guidance in order to prepare candidates for the degree of B. Sc. (Hons.) in Forestry, B. Sc. (Hons.) in Environmental Sciences, M. F. (Master of Forestry), M. Sc. in Forestry, M. Sc. in Environmental Sciences, M. Phil in Forestry, M. Phil in Environmental Sciences, Ph. D. in Forestry and Ph. D. in Environmental Science of the University. Besides 22 regular teaching staff, the Institute employs experienced professional foresters, scientists, researchers, and professors on a part-time basis from FD, BARC, SPARRSO, BFRI, BFIDC, BUET, CUETT, and related Departments of the University of Chittagong and other educational institutions. The Institute maintains strong linkages with the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC), Department of Environment (DoE), Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization (SPARRSO), Surveyor General of Bangladesh, Integrated Centre for International Mountain Development (ICIMOD, Nepal), Yale, North Carolina State, Oregon State, Toronto, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Wales, Manchester Universities.

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences is one of six faculties at the University of Bergen, and has around 2700 students. Teaching is offered at undergraduate and graduate (M.Sc. and Ph.D.) levels. The Faculty consists of 8 departments, which provide the foundations for its teaching and research activities, including

Department of Biology

Department of Molecular Biology

Department of Chemistry

Department of Earth Science

Geophysical Institute

Department of Informatics

Department of Mathematics

Department of Physics and Technology

And three national Centers of Excellence

Bjerknes Center for Climate Research

Centre for Integrated Petroleum Research

Centre for Geobiology

The Bay of Bengal (BoB) is characterized by its tropical climate. It is situated in the monsoon belt and receives high rainfall and intense tropical cyclones, which cause high sea levels and flooding in the low-lying coastal areas and floodplains. The number and intensity of cyclones in the northern part of the Bay of Bengal are likely to increase due to global warming causing even higher sea levels and flooding. Major rivers such as the Brahmaputra and Ganges discharge large quantities of fresh water into the Bay of Bengal. This input of freshwater and silt has a significant influence on the salinity of the coastal and estuarine waters as well as coastal and ocean circulation patterns, with impacts on the fisheries. Because of the reduction of freshwater from the catchment areas due to hydropower, irrigation, and other industrial purposes, the BOB experiences less freshwater inflow. It influences and governs BOB dynamics and the lives and livelihoods of millions of people living on the low-lying coast of Bangladesh. In order to address these above-mentioned issues, we will develop cooperative efforts in research, education, and capacity building with a focus on oceanographic ecosystem and climate research and prediction in particular on sea level in the Bay of Bengal and along the coast of Bangladesh for past, present and future climate change. Furthermore, the initiative would investigate the dynamics of sedimentation and delta formation and the management of coastal and oceanic resources. These will form a good base for the assessment of climate-induced impacts in the coastal and floodplain areas, which will facilitate future integrated policy formulation and adaptation for the benefit of the coastal population and further enhance the understanding of Himalayan highland and Bay of Bengal lowland linkages and processes therein.

The C4RE Services and the Nansen Center Bergen started planning to create a Nansen-Bangladesh Center a few years ago in order to share and contribute new knowledge to the mention issues above. During the last year, this planning was intensified with mutual visits to Bangladesh and Bergen resulting in this plan presented here. 

To serve Bangladesh through advancing knowledge and sustainable development practices of the coastal, ocean, and climate system and its impact on society by integration of knowledge generated by national and international partner institutions in the spirit of the Nobel Laureate and humanist Fridtjof Nansen.

To improve the capacity to observe, understand, and predict the sea level, ocean circulation, marine ecosystem, and climate variability in the coastal regions of Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal on timescales from days to decades in support of scientific and societal needs including coastal and ocean resource management for fisheries, maritime security, recreation, tourism, biodiversity and livelihoods of communities and develop appropriate climate change adaptation measures.

To focus on the education and exchange of young researchers and students from different cultures and countries through the Nansen-Bangladesh Fellowship Program.

To collaborate with national and international associate partners which will be institutions in Bangladesh, Norway, the South Asian region, and the Nansen Group Network, and develop joint programmes where needed to meet the overall goal.

The centre will use state of the art technology in following fields in an integrated fashion combining in situ (CTD, ADCP, tide gauges, small coastal research vessel, echo sounder), observation from remote sensing satellites from optical to microwave range and numerical modelling including data assimilation, coupled climate models including downscaling, high resolution ocean and ecosystem models and state of the art computing systems.

To attain the overall goal the Nansen-Bangladesh International Centre will be developed starting with the following research activities: