Filipino maritime professional Ms. Rubina Serrano Badoy, the first to be awarded a fellowship through the IMO-Republic of Korea SMART-C Women Project, is to begin a master's programme at the World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmö, Sweden.
Ms Badoy, Chief of the Marine Transport Environment and Energy Development Division at the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) of the Philippines, completed the SMART-C Women Training Programme in 2024. She is now enrolled in the 2025-2026 MSc in Maritime Affairs, specializing in Ocean Sustainability, Governance and Management.
Funded by the Republic of Korea and implemented by the International Maritime Organization, the SMART-C Women Project promotes gender equality in the maritime sector across five Pacific and five Asian nations through targeted capacity-building. In 2024, participants from Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam completed the training, which combined online and in-person modules to strengthen skills and expertise.
Following the training, participants were invited to apply for the Fellowship Programme, which offers the opportunity to pursue a master's degree at either WMU or the IMO International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI). The fellowship covers all costs, including tuition, accommodation at the WMU residence, a monthly stipend, and a return air ticket to the recipient's home country upon graduation.
The SMART-C Women Project supports career development and expands opportunities for women in the maritime sector through four key pillars:
- Comprehensive online and in-person training to strengthen professional competencies
- Fully funded fellowships enabling advanced studies at WMU or IMLI
- Global networking initiatives to foster international collaboration and knowledge-sharing
- Pilot consultancy projects supporting the development of national master plans on women's empowerment in the maritime sector
The 2025 Training Programme includes participants from five Pacific nations: Fiji, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Vanuatu. Following the in-person training in September 2025, in Busan, Republic of Korea, they will be invited to apply for the Fellowship Programme, with the opportunity to pursue a master's degree at WMU or IMLI in 2026.
