The 2nd International Ocean Research Conference (IORC) was an opportunity for the scientific community to come together to plan the coming decade of international collaboration in marine science and technology, with a view to improving ocean governance. The inaugural IORC was held in June 2005, when the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO) with The Oceanography Society (TOS), brought attendees together to discuss expected developments in marine sciences in the decade that followed.

Now, almost ten years later, the same institutions are convening the 2nd IORC to review progress made in ocean science in the last twenty years, and plan ahead in light of important policy developments such as The Future We Want (UNCSD Rio+20) and Future Earth. 

The conference focused on how ocean sciences have progressed in the last 20 years and discussed the coming decade of international collaboration in marine sciences and technology. The conference comprised keynote lectures, panels, oral presentations and poster sessions, targeted primarily at oceanographers, researchers, engineers, academics, conservation organizations and decision makers that have coastal and marine related responsibilities.

More information on the conference can be found at the conference website.