Global Fishing Watch opens Ocean Research Grant

Global Fishing Watch has initiated Open Research Grant Program to enhance ocean governance by publicly sharing data on human activity at sea.

Global Fishing Watch designed the program to grow its community of practice and expand and improve its datasets.

The Open Ocean Research Grant Program seeks to strengthen this network of research partners and maximize the impact of these datasets by inviting global researchers to improve core technologies and apply them to ocean governance research.

Resources:
Global Fishing Watch datasets available for the research grant program

Award amount
Individual category: $10,000 USD maximum
Group category: $20,000 USD maximum
Eligibility
The Open Ocean Research Grants Program offers up to $10,000 for individuals, including graduate students and researchers establishing themselves in their fields, ideally collaborating with civil society and/or government agencies. Institutions like small laboratories and organizations with teams of two to five people with a clearly identified team leader can receive up to $20,000 for projects using Global Fishing Watch data.

Timeline of key dates
May 6: Application opening date
Late May: Informational webinar – Stay tuned for details!
June 17: Application deadline
July 31: Anticipated award notification date
August 2025 to August 2027: Cohort will run