Information for visitors

Welcome to the Institute of Marine sciences (IMS) of the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) and to Tanzania in general. The following guidelines are intended to assist you in finding your way to the various places and offices within the Institute’s premises. Due to our current limitation of facilities and resources, these guidelines are aiming at maximizing the utilization of existing facilities and resources. You are kindly requested to take some time to familiarize yourself with these guidelines.

IMS FACILITIES AT MIZINGANI ROAD BUILDING

IMS Building Ground Floor

The following labs and facilities are found on the ground floor of the building:-

1. Living Resources & Ecology Laboratory.
2. Chemical & Environmental Sciences Laboratory
3. Pesticide Analysis Laboratory
4. Office for the Superintendent of Laboratories
5. Marine Education Extension Development (MEED) Unit.
6. The Aquarium
7. Dispensary
8. Stores
9. Carpentry Workshop.
10. Students/Visitors’ Rooms

IMS Building First Floor

Here you find the Offices for the different Research Staff, and the Offices of the Administrative Personnel. These include:-

1. The Director’s Office
2. Associate Director’s Office
3. The Administrative Officer’s Office
4. Accounts Office
5. The Library
6. ICT, GIS and National Oceanographic Data Centre
7. General Typing Pool
8. Offices for Academic Staff

RESEARCH AND RESIDENCE PERMITS

All visiting researchers/scientists are required to have research permits, which costs $75 (per person) and $150 (per person) for less than three months and more than three months, respectively. Research permits are processed at the Second Vice Presidents’ Office.  If you are staying and doing research for less than three months you will be required to get a Carrying Temporary Assignment permit (CTA) which costs $200, and if you are staying for more than three months (up to one year) you will be required to get a Resident Permit which costs $550. CTA and Resident permits are processed at the Zanzibar Immigration Office. You can download application forms for the Research Permit HERE The Institute will assist you in processing the permits upon submission of the required documents and payments of the associated costs.
Requirements for the Research and Residence/CTA Permits:

1. 5 coloured passport photographs for Residence Permit (3 for CTA)
2. A copy of your passport (profile page)
3. CV
4. Your research proposal

BENCH FEE

With effect from 1st September 2015, the bench fee at the Institute of Marine Sciences will be $150 per month (for those who will be using basic laboratory facilities) and $100 per month (for those who will not be working in the laboratories). The fee is expected to cover for Internet services, Electricity, Office and Lab space, as well as other Institutes’ administrative costs.  Costs for the use of high tech lab facilities and their related reagents are charged separately. Other services such as fax, international calls, photocopy etc. are charged according to the actual usage.

LABORATORIES AND THEIR USE

All IMS laboratories have specific regulations and guidelines. The regulations and guidelines depend on the type of activity conducted in a specific laboratory. Before engaging yourself to a specific laboratory, it is your responsibility to ensure that you know the regulations of the laboratory you are working at.
Furthermore, as most of the laboratories and facilities experience high demand, you need to ensure that your planned activity is approved by the Superintendent of Laboratories prior to commencement.  For those visiting scientists intending to dive during their visit, they are advised to bring their own diving gears such as regulators, BCDs, masks, snorkels, fins, diving boots and wet suits as IMS has very limited stock of diving gears and there are plenty of users. However, IMS may be able to provide tanks and dive weights.
In the event of an equipment breakdown, or if you use the last bit of a particular chemical, it is your responsibility to report this immediately to the technician in-charge or head of the Superintendent of the laboratories.  Failure to do so may result in refusal for you to use IMS equipment and/or other resources.
Obviously it pays to be courteous to your fellow researchers, so please take think about others working (ongoing experiments) around you, or other people who may wish to use the same laboratory resources.
Please note that it is not allowed to keep wet clothes in the visiting scientists’ room or any other place in the laboratories.

TRANSPORT

The Institute does not provide field transport. However, it may assist in getting the service from car renters.

BOATS: 
The Institute owns a boat, which can be hired (in case it is not engaged by other research activities) at a nominal fee, which is usually 10% lower than the market price. Below are the current charges in Tanzanian Shillings for hiring a boat outside the Institute.

Please note that the charges may fluctuate with season. Should you wish to use one of the Institute’s boats then you have two options: Either
(a) You provide the fuel, pay the assistants and pay 20% of the market price; or 
(b) You pay 90% of the market price and be provided with fuel and boatman.

In any case, you will be requested to deposit some money with the Institute’s Accountants’ office.

WORK SCHEDULE

You are required to provide a work plan to the Associate Director (through your local supervisor) and a progress report detailing your activities and venues at the beginning of each month in order to facilitate:-

1. Smooth operation of your scheduled activities.
2. Transport/boats arrangements.
3. Notification of the government local authorities responsible throughout the geographic areas you intend to be operating. This is important as it may avoid unnecessary inconveniences.

Upon your request, IMS can provide you with assistants (Technicians, boat operators etc) to work with you. It is advisable that payment of allowances for assistants, etc, be made at the accounts office. You are therefore advised to deposit some money at the accounts office which can be used for this purpose. However, payment to people outside IMS should be done directly by yourself.

Please note that the assistants may also be engaged with other researchers/visiting scientists at IMS. Before engaging them with your research you are required to consult your local supervisor at the Institute and the Superintendent of Laboratories (with details of your field plan) for approval in order to avoid confusion. Please note that activities such as making appointments with offices outside IMS or visiting other Government institutions can be done by yourself in consultation with the Associate Directors’ Office (which could assist in making the appointments for you on request).

ACCOMMODATION

Currently, the Institute does not provide accommodation to visiting researchers. However, it assists in obtaining them.

INSURANCE

Please note that the Institute does not provide insurance cover for visitors. The Institute is, therefore, in no way responsible for any damage or accident (at sea or on land) that may occur to any visitor.
Please make sure you have signed the Visitors form which is available at the desk of the Secretary for the Visiting Scientists/Students on your arrival at the institute. This is for record purposes.

MEDICAL ASSISTANCE

In case you need to see a Doctor please contact the In-Charge of Visiting Scientists or Associate Director for assistance.

We have some medical facilities for emergency use in our dispensary located at the ground floor.

DEPARTING IMS

At the end of your stay it is expected that any equipment you have used is returned to its correct place, and any problems that you may have encountered with it have been reported to the laboratory staff. Furthermore, in case you have spent the last bit of a specific chemical or laboratory item, please ensure that the item has been reported to the Technician in-charge so that it can be replaced or renewed.

Finally, since your visit to IMS will hopefully be productive, it is expected that all visiting researchers present a report and/or a seminar to the IMS staff so that we can all share the new knowledge generated by your research. It will also be gratefully appreciated if you could send a copy of any published material resulting from your work at IMS. We also encourage joint publications with IMS scientists that have assisted you in your work preparation and implementation. However, this could be discussed between you and your supervisors/researchers.

Thank you for taking the time to read these short notes, we hope your visit with us is pleasant and productive.

For more information:

Please contact the In-charge of Visiting Scientists:

Dr. Mwanahija Shalli
Email: shalli@ims.udsm.ac.tz

Updated: July, 2015