The Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) and Marine and Coastal Operations for Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean (MarCOSIO), are pleased to offer the Marine Research Grant (MARG I) and the GMES and Africa MarCOSIO Students Grant. Early career researchers MSc and PhD students can apply for the grants. Successful research proposals receive funds through competitive selection.
MARG I
Since its inception in 1995, the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA) Marine Research Grant (MARG) Programme has sought to increase the capacity of scientists in the WIO region to conduct research contributing to various aspects of marine science. The MARG I Grant aims to provide opportunities for early-career researchers, such as MSc and PhD candidates, to conduct well-defined research projects in their home countries/institutions. The research projects can be on any topic related to marine and coastal ecosystems management, from across the research spectrum of lab, translation, implementation and policy, and should take up to one year. Projects that are aligned with the strategic directions identified by the WIOMSA Strategic objective (2021-2025) and the nine Priority Future decade Actions (Ocean Decade Africa Roadmap) are encouraged. The MARG I Grant will also include special funding for Seagrass research projects that promote and strengthen the contributions of Seagrass to socio-ecological resilience and blue economy development in the WIO region. Seagrass projects will be funded through a joint Seagrass project between WIOMSA and the IUCN, with funding from the Le Fonds français pour l’environnement mondial (FFEM). Seagrass projects that assess carbon storage potential, seagrass restoration, spatial connectivity between seagrass beds and other adjacent ecosystems, threats, pressures and management responses are encouraged.
GMES and Africa MarCOSIO Students Grant
The GMES and Africa MarCOSIO grant aims to provide competitive funding for MSc and PhD research in relevant fields. The goal is to contribute to training and capacity building using Earth observation (EO) data and technologies in South and East African marine and coastal domains. Projects must use Earth observation tools and develop satellite services and products relevant to the marine and coastal environment, as well as inland lakes. Students with topics such as remote sensing, oceanography, climatology, geography, hydrology, hydrogeology, environmental risk management, geoinformatics, computer science, artificial intelligence, or other related fields are encouraged to apply. Applicants pursuing Masters and Doctoral degrees and with qualifying topics can apply for a MarCOSIO Student Grant of up to US$ 2400 to cover or supplement their living and research costs.
Submission of applications
Please note that applications will only be accepted via the online application system. Only applications submitted through this system will be considered. Applications and supporting materials must be uploaded to the WIOMSA website via this LINK. Please note that applicants will need to register and create an account on the website to submit
The deadline for submission of MARG I applications is 18th October 2023 11.59 p.m. EAT.
Download the full Call for Proposals to learn more about the application process and eligibility criteria.
For any information contact, the Executive Director, Email: secretary@wiomsa.org.