Brilliant Innovation Projects for 2026

Sea-Changers’ Innovation Fund seeks out bold and creative approaches to protecting the UK’s marine environment. In 2026 the fund has been supported by the William Grant Foundation and The FatFace Foundation .

Once again we were blown away by the calibre and diversity of project proposals to our Innovation Fund.  After some tough deliberation, with the help of our grant assessors we have selected a small number of outstanding projects to support. From pioneering science and cutting-edge technology to imaginative engagement with fishers, this year’s successful grant recipients reflect a strong mix of passion and originality. Here they are:

The Acoustic FishID project by the Dorset Wildlife Trust aims to advance underwater biological recording, addressing a significant knowledge gap: an estimated 96% of fish sounds are currently undescribed. While the advanced technology has been successful in tropical environments, this initiative represents its first application in temperate UK waters. All attributed species sounds will be shared through an open-access library to benefit the wider scientific community.

MarFishEco’s proposed project, NetResults – Turning Fisheries Science into Action, is a Scottish-based project aiming to bridge the gap between peer-reviewed fisheries science and real-world fishing practices. MarFishEco will create a WhatsApp based system to deliver science based actionable insights directly to fishers, serving as a real time knowledge exchange. Success will be evaluated through participant engagement and evidence of behavioural changes in fishing decisions.

St Abbs Marine Station’s proposed project, WolfSpot, seeks to develop the first validated photo-identification protocol for the Atlantic wolffish within Scotland’s Berwickshire Marine Reserve. This identification toolkit replaces traditional physical tagging with AI-based re-identification. WolfSpot provides critical data on population status and residency to inform reserve management and habitat protection.

The Sussex Dolphin Project’s Acoustic cetacean research aims to transform growing aquaculture sites into marine observatories for long-term data collection in under-sampled inshore environments. The project will deploy two acoustic monitoring (PAM) devices at a seaweed farm in Bracklesham Bay to track cetacean presence. Beyond immediate data collection, the initiative focuses on creating a replicable framework and blueprint for the seaweed industry.

Led by Dr. Hugo Harrison, the University of Bristol’s project Adaptive Seascape leverages the Bristol Genomics Facility and established fisheries networks to evaluate how ocean warming impacts marine species. The initiative will focus on the common whelk, a species with limited mobility that must genetically adapt to survive rising temperatures. This method will link targeted genetic markers with environmental projections to assess the adaptive capacity and vulnerability of populations under various warming scenarios. The aim is to create a vulnerability map to identify populations at risk of maladaptation and policy recommendations to support the UK’s whelk fisheries management plan.

We can't wait to watch these projects unfold.