Support from Swire Trust

Starting its business as a shipping company two centuries ago, Swire Group always finds the ocean close to its heart. Thanks to the Group’s dedication to give back, marine conservation naturally becomes one of the pivotal foci of its Charitable Trust. With the belief that science philanthropy can create impacts through scientific research and education, Swire has been a staunch supporter of SWIMS for the past three decades, from the humble establishment of the Swire Marine Laboratory (SML) to the expansions along its evolution.

 

Science enables us to understand the world, it is also a ground to advocate policy change and to arouse public awareness. Indeed, scientific evidence is the first step to change, the foundation to pinpoint problems around us. Only with science can one strive to make changes for the betterment of society. The Trust hopes to build a platform to transform this philosophy into reality — through policy change, research and education, so that the issues of biodiversity loss, overfishing and pollution in our waters can be resolved. In this sense, science philanthropy plays a crucial role in fostering the translation of scientific knowledge into societal impacts.

 

Apart from basic science research, education is equally essential. Only by inspiring the young generations can we achieve and create sustainable values. Thirty years ago, the Trust funded SWIMS to build a multidisciplinary research environment, as well as to grow a research culture and train young scientists; today, the Trust still carries on its mission through supporting the recent expansion of SWIMS and its ambitious development plans. The journey towards a more sustainable marine environment is a long one, yet through concerted efforts in fostering collaborations and sharing scientific knowledge, this goal can be realised in the near future.