Open Call for Innovative Solutions

Advanc­ing Clean and Resilient Oceans

Flotil­la Foun­da­tion invites expres­sions of inter­est for inno­v­a­tive projects that devel­op new tech­nolo­gies, gov­er­nance approach­es or incen­tive mod­els to address the inter­con­nect­ed chal­lenges of pol­lu­tion and ocean resilience. We are seek­ing proof-of-con­cept ini­tia­tives that explore nov­el approach­es to pre­vent pol­lu­tion at its source and strength­en the ocean’s abil­i­ty to adapt to a chang­ing climate.

Dead­lines: Appli­ca­tions are accept­ed on a rolling basis, with review begin­ning after two annu­al cut­off dates: 

• 1^st March
• 1^st Sep­tem­ber

We wel­come appli­ca­tions from NGOs, think tanks and research insti­tu­tions whose work aligns with one or both of the fol­low­ing goals:

Goal 1: End­ing Pol­lu­tion in Waterways

We aim to sup­port ini­tia­tives that stop pol­lu­tion before it reach­es rivers and seas, tack­ling root caus­es in sec­tors such as agri­cul­ture, health­care, petro­chem­i­cals and waste­water management.

Projects might explore:

• Cir­cu­lar or reuse-based mod­els that elim­i­nate waste and harm­ful materials
• Regen­er­a­tive and agroe­co­log­i­cal approach­es that reduce chem­i­cal inputs to land and water
• New designs or inno­va­tions in waste­water and sewage sys­tems that pre­vent untreat­ed outflows
• Sys­temic shifts that change incen­tives and behav­iours to ​“turn off the tap” on pollution

We are par­tic­u­lar­ly inter­est­ed in upstream, scal­able solu­tions that reshape how mate­ri­als, prod­ucts and waste are designed and managed.

Goal 2: Strength­en­ing Ocean Resilience

We also invite ideas that help the ocean thrive as a nat­ur­al cli­mate buffer, sup­port­ing bio­di­ver­si­ty, ecosys­tems and the com­mu­ni­ties that depend on them.

This could include:

• Tech­nolo­gies or mod­els that improve the pro­tec­tion, mon­i­tor­ing or enforce­ment of marine areas
• Scal­able restora­tion of coastal or blue car­bon habitats
• Inno­v­a­tive blue-econ­o­my mod­els link­ing com­mu­ni­ty well­be­ing with con­ser­va­tion outcomes
• Approach­es that address unsus­tain­able ​“false solu­tions” in off­shore industries

What We Are Look­ing For

We seek inno­v­a­tive, prac­ti­cal and testable solu­tions with the poten­tial to cre­ate mean­ing­ful change. This open call pri­ori­tis­es proof-of-con­cept ini­tia­tives, pilot projects and ear­ly-stage inno­va­tions that demon­strate new approach­es to pre­vent­ing pol­lu­tion and strength­en­ing ocean resilience.

Suc­cess­ful pro­pos­als should:

• Show clear poten­tial to test or demon­strate a nov­el idea in a real-world context
• Illus­trate how the pilot or proof-of-con­cept could be scaled or adapt­ed for broad­er impact
• Reflect a strong under­stand­ing of the prob­lem and its sys­tem drivers

Fund­ing & Scope:

• Grants of up to EUR 30,000 are available
• Projects should be for 1‑Year maximum 

How to Apply

Expres­sions of inter­est can be sub­mit­ted via our ded­i­cat­ed por­tal. Appli­cants should care­ful­ly review the cri­te­ria and indi­cate how their pro­pos­al aligns with one or both of the goals above.