KUFOS Vision 2040: India's Blue Economy University Plan

Gafoor called the IDP a visionary blueprint that will support Kerala's blue economy ambitions. The university expects the plan to improve research output, international partnerships, innovation, graduate employability, technology transfer, and community engagement. Five flagship centres of excellence are proposed, covering blue economy and coastal sustainability; aquatic biodiversity, wetlands and one health; marine biotechnology and genomics; digital ocean sciences and climate analytics; and blue skills, entrepreneurship, and community innovation.

The university also honoured five faculty members – A. Biju Kumar, Rajeev Raghavan, Gireesh Gopinath, Radhika Rajasree and Abhlash Sasidharan – for being named in the top 5% of scientists globally in the 2025 Global Scientist Index by SciRank Global. The recognition underscores the research depth KUFOS aims to build on under the new plan.

Vision 2040 comes as India pushes its blue economy policy, unveiled in 2022, which targets doubling the GDP contribution of the ocean sector. KUFOS, established in 2010, is the country's only fisheries and ocean studies university. The plan is designed to position it as a premier knowledge institution serving both Kerala and the nation, with a 15-year horizon for academic excellence, research leadership, innovation, sustainability, and global engagement.