The Scientific Diving Center at TU Bergakademie Freiberg has received the world's first ISO certification for training in scientific diving. This means that anyone training and continuing their education in scientific diving at Freiberg University benefits from internationally uniform standards for preparing for diving missions in underwater research.
Scientific diving is important for students and researchers from many different disciplines. “Whether industrial archaeology, geology or engineering - scientific diving is an interdisciplinary offer that we have been designing for all disciplines at our university for some time,” says Dr Thomas Grab, Head of the University's Scientific Diving Center ‘The new ISO certification also makes scientific diving training very interesting for interested parties beyond the TU Bergakademie Freiberg,’ he adds, ”because now our degree is internationally recognized. Our Freiberg training is also aimed at private individuals or, for example, companies in the field of construction technology or robotics - a broad field.”
A lot of patience required
Professor Dr Tobias Fieback, Scientific Director of the Scientific Diving Center at TUBAF, proved his staying power: since 2021, as the German representative on the standardization committee, he has been working on the development and publication of the standards, which were developed together with 169 ISO member countries and are now also valid in Germany as DIN EN ISO. “We are very proud to be the first institution in the world to be certified to train according to the new standards,” explains Professor Fieback, ”with the globally recognized certification, we hope that it will not only simplify international research cooperation, but also give our courses a boost, meaning that even more people will be interested in our training.”
The solution to global environmental problems also lies in water
The persistence with which Fieback and the team at the Scientific Diving Center have fought for certification has a central reason: Scientific diving is a key qualification for all those who research and work in the environmental sector:
“71% of the Earth's surface is covered by water. So if we really want to explore the Earth, find solutions to global environmental problems and assess the impact of human activity on our ecosystem, then we have to include this part. We must ensure that all research disciplines, with their specialized knowledge and methods, have access to underwater research. We bring know-how and decision-makers to where science needs to take place, directly to the scene of the action.”
Block course for interested people from all over the world
The courses in scientific diving for university members are already running this semester. External interested parties can already register for a block course from 27th June to 06th July 2025. Information on requirements and course content can be found on the Scientific Diving Center website.