Global Fishing Watch Open Ocean Research Grant Program

Expired Nordic · Found: 2026-03-10 14:09

Grant program enhancing ocean governance through data sharing and transparency. Supports research in fisheries monitoring and marine conservation, applicable to Faroe Islands and Greenland waters.

Source: https://globalfishingwatch.org/open-ocean-research-grants-program

Funding Details

Funder

Global Fishing Watch

Funding Goal

Support research that advances ocean governance through the use of publicly available data on human activity at sea. The program aims to enhance Global Fishing Watch's network of research partners by inviting researchers worldwide to strengthen core technologies, expand datasets and apply them to real-world ocean governance challenges.

Funding Amount

Individual category: up to US$10,000; Group category: up to US$20,000 (up to 20.000 €)

Deadline

2026-05-10 (Fixed)

How to Apply

Two-stage process: (1) Submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) using the provided Google Form by May 10, 2026 (23:59 UTC). (2) Selected applicants are invited to submit full proposals by August 31, 2026. Award notification in October 2026, cohort commences November 2026. Contact: research-grants@globalfishingwatch.org

Target Region

Global — researchers from any country eligible; past cohort included projects in Brazil, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Liberia, Chile, Peru, Kenya, and Indonesia

Contact

research-grants@globalfishingwatch.org

Last Checked

2026-05-07 07:19

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Open to individual researchers (up to $10k) and groups (up to $20k)
• No geographic restrictions — researchers from any country eligible

Project Scope

• Must use Global Fishing Watch publicly available datasets in the research
• Research must relate to ocean governance challenges

Required Documents

• Letter of Intent (LOI) must be submitted by May 10, 2026 (23:59 UTC) using the Google Form
• Full proposal only required if LOI is selected (invitation by July 1, 2026)

Constraints

• Maximum grant size: $20,000 for groups; $10,000 for individuals
• Research/academic focus — not for operational or infrastructure projects

Summary

The Global Fishing Watch Open Ocean Research Grant Program supports researchers who use GFW's publicly available ocean data to advance ocean governance. The program funds research that strengthens core technologies, expands datasets, and applies them to real-world ocean governance challenges, with a focus on fisheries monitoring, marine conservation, and ocean transparency. The thematic scope includes illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing detection, fisheries management, marine spatial planning, vessel tracking and AIS/VMS data analysis, biodiversity and bycatch studies, and sustainable fisheries governance. Research must actively utilise Global Fishing Watch datasets and tools. Eligible activities include empirical research applying GFW data to local or regional ocean governance challenges, development of new analytical methods using GFW datasets, and community-engagement projects that build local capacity to use ocean transparency data. Projects from the 2025 cohort span community monitoring, artisanal fisheries assessment, spatial planning, and IUU detection. The program is global in geographic scope, with no regional restrictions. The 2025 cohort covered projects in Brazil, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Liberia, Chile, Peru, Kenya, and Indonesia, reflecting a strong focus on developing-country and small-scale fisheries contexts. Eligible applicants include individual researchers and research groups from any institution or country. There are no explicit restrictions on applicant type (academia, NGO, government). A Letter of Intent is required as the first step; only successful LOI applicants are invited to submit full proposals. Target beneficiaries include fishing communities, marine conservation managers, and policymakers who benefit from improved fisheries data and ocean governance transparency. Funding amounts are small grants: up to US$10,000 for individual researchers and up to US$20,000 for groups. No co-funding requirement is mentioned. The program does not fund infrastructure or operational projects — it is strictly for research using existing GFW data tools.

Historical Context

The 2025 cohort was the inaugural cohort of the program. From nearly 175 proposals, 11 finalists were selected. The 2026 cycle introduces a new Letter of Intent (LOI) stage to streamline applications.

Why it was added

International ocean research grants relevant to Faroese and Greenlandic fisheries governance

Sources

• https://globalfishingwatch.org/open-ocean-research-grants-program

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