Earlier this month we launched our new Innovation fund designed to encourage and support new ideas, solutions and projects for marine conservation in the UK. Sea-Changers recognises that by its very nature, innovation is risky and unpredictable in terms of impact and benefits. The important thing about innovation is that there is learning from both successes and failures and therefore the successful application will need to explain how the success or failure of the project being applied for, will be judged and measured.
The founding sponsor for the fund is MRT - a world-leading manufacturer of Personal Locator Beacons (PLB's) and marine safety equipment. Founded by the inventor of the PLB, David Marshall, MRT have been at the forefront of sea safety since 1975.
The Sea-Changers Innovation Fund 2021 invites applications from around the UK and will remain open until the closing date of 18th June 2021. In 2021 the Innovation Fund will take the form of a single award of £2,000. It is hoped that the fund can be expanded in future years. Sea-Changers will be seeking additional sponsors and donors to enable this.
Helen Webb, Co-Founder of Sea-Changers said: 'We are thrilled to be setting up a fund specifically to encourage innovation in addressing marine conservation challenges. It is great to be supported in this initiative by MRT, who are showing their commitment to addressing the many issues that the marine environment is facing. MRT is a company that was built around inventing innovative approaches to marine safety so it is fantastic that they are throwing their support behind our new marine conservation innovation fund."
Ryan Pettit, Director & CEO, Marine Rescue Technologies said, "As a company renowned for our own product innovations, and with a marine based product range, this partnership with Sea-Changers is a great fit. We are delighted to be part of this project which will encourage new thinking and exciting ideas from individuals and businesses in order to help tackle the problems being faced by the marine environment."
Full details on how to apply and the funding criteria can be found at here. If you have further questions about the fund please get in touch at info@sea-changers.org.uk