Seaweed Breakthrough – GlobalSeaweedSUPERSTAR
Enriched Nordic · Found: 2026-03-11 08:08
The Seaweed Breakthrough initiative aims to catalyse global action to conserve, restore, and sustainably manage seaweed ecosystems.
Source: https://globalseaweed.org/?page_id=5117
Funding Details
- Funder
- GlobalSeaweed-SUPERSTAR / Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate (UK)
- Funding Goal
- To catalyse global action to conserve, restore, and sustainably manage seaweed ecosystems, aiming to halt the loss and protect at least 30% of wild seaweed habitats by 2030 while supporting sustainable farming livelihoods.
- Funding Amount
- No direct funding currently available. Previous grant fund (now closed) offered £5,000–£50,000 for research/innovation projects and up to £2,000 for travel/capacity building.
- Deadline
- Stakeholder consultation period: January–August 2026. Public launch at COP31: November 2026. (Fixed)
- How to Apply
- The Seaweed Pledge is the current engagement mechanism. Organizations submit a pledge committing to one or more action areas (sourcing, sustainable practices, innovation, research, capacity building). Commitments are published at major UN events. Contact superstar@sams.ac.uk for more information. Note: the previous direct grant fund (GlobalSeaweedSTAR Fund) is closed to all new applications.
- Target Region
- Global
- Contact
- superstar@sams.ac.uk
- Last Checked
- 2026-03-11 23:43
Application Checklist
Eligibility
Project Scope
Constraints
Summary
The Seaweed Breakthrough is a global initiative led by the GlobalSeaweed-SUPERSTAR project, backed by the UK's Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate. It aims to establish a comprehensive 2030 strategy for protecting and restoring wild seaweed habitats while supporting sustainable seaweed farming practices that provide livelihoods for over 6 million farmers worldwide. The initiative operates through four pillars: a State of the World's Seaweed Report 2025, Guiding Principles (a 10-point code of conduct), Key Targets for habitat protection by 2030, and a Pledge mechanism for stakeholder commitments. The Seaweed Pledge is the primary engagement mechanism, open to private sector and civil society organizations. Signatories can commit to sourcing seaweed sustainably, adopting regenerative farming practices, investing in innovation and research, and capacity building for small-scale farmers. Commitments are made public at the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC-3, June 2025) and COP31 (November 2026). The initiative is currently in its stakeholder consultation period (January–August 2026). The project previously operated a direct grant fund (GlobalSeaweedSTAR Fund) with three categories — Research & Innovation (£5,000–£50,000), Travel (up to £2,000), and Capacity Building (up to £2,000) — but all three are now closed to new applications. The current Seaweed Breakthrough does not appear to offer direct grant funding, but rather functions as a coalition and pledge framework supported by the Global Seaweed Coalition, UN agencies, and GlobalSeaweed-SUPERSTAR.
Historical Context
The GlobalSeaweedSTAR Fund previously awarded 15 research/innovation grants (£5,000–£50,000), approximately 28 travel grants, and 22 capacity building grants across 11 countries. All three fund categories are now closed. The Seaweed Breakthrough initiative was initially presented at the UN Ocean Conference in Nice (June 2025) and is scheduled for full launch at COP31 (November 2026).
Sources
- https://globalseaweed.org/?page_id=5117
- https://globalseaweed.org/
- https://globalseaweed.org/?page_id=4293
- https://globalseaweed.org/?page_id=5220
- https://globalseaweed.org/?page_id=5223
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