In 2004, the University of the Philippines’ Marine Science Institute (UPMSI) was chosen as the CRTR’s Southeast Asia Center of Excellence (COE) based on its enviable national and international reputation for collaborative research with local, national and international agencies.

In recognition of its achievements in research and instruction, UPMSI has received numerous awards from both government and private organisations. In 1994, it was designated the "National Center of Excellence in the Marine Sciences" by Presidential Proclamation and in 1998 UPMSI became the first and only Centre of Excellence in Marine Science under the Commission on Higher Education.

From very humble beginnings, UPMSI now has over 150 staff; produces around 20 ISI indexed publications per year - an average of 1.2 per senior staff, which is world class; and its seaside marine laboratory at Bolinao provides a significant facility for field research on one of the largest reef complexes in the Philippines.

It is has not all been smooth sailing, however. UPMSI has overcome significant obstacles during its history including a severe threat to the Bolinao Marine Laboratory in the mid 1990s by a proposal to build a large, polluting cement factory at its doorstep which would have been devastating to the local reef and the research program. Most recently in May 2009, the laboratory was severely damaged by Typhoon Emong.

Undaunted, Emeritus Professor Ed Gomez, founder of the UPMSI and now Chair of the CRTR Southeast Asian CoE and co-chair the Restoration and Remediation Working Group (RRWG), shares the secrets of UPMSI’s success.

The 7 secrets of success by Professor Ed Gomez