Ocean Innovation Challenge (OIC) Call 5: Marine Pollution Reduction, Coastal and Marine Ecosystem restoration and Sustainable Blue Economy

The Ocean Innovation Challenge (OIC) Call 5: Marine Pollution Reduction, Coastal and Marine Ecosystem restoration and Sustainable Blue Economy invites private sector organizations worldwide to submit innovative, implementation-ready solutions that address pressing ocean and coastal challenges while advancing sustainable and inclusive blue economy development.

Implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the OIC will support implementation-ready innovations that can generate measurable environmental, social, and economic impacts and demonstrate strong potential for replication and scaling.

The OIC recognizes that innovative entrepreneurs and businesses play a critical role in developing practical solutions to marine pollution, ecosystem degradation, and the sustainable use of ocean resources. This seeks to identify and support private sector innovators capable of transforming promising innovations into impactful and scalable solutions that contribute to healthier oceans and more resilient coastal communities, in particular targeting women, youth and the poor. Preference will be given to women- and youth-led/owned innovations. 

The call is open to solutions that directly benefit Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam and address one or more of the following thematic areas:

• Marine Pollution Reduction: Innovations that prevent, reduce, recover, or manage marine pollution, including marine plastics, ghost fishing gear, wastewater, and other land- and sea-based sources of pollution.
• Coastal and Marine Ecosystem Restoration: Innovations that restore and conserve coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass meadows, coastal wetlands, and other marine and coastal ecosystems while strengthening biodiversity and climate resilience.
• Sustainable Blue Economy: Innovations that promote sustainable fisheries, aquaculture, eco-tourism, blue biotechnology, circular economy approaches, ocean data solutions, and other sustainable ocean-based enterprises.

The call is open to legally registered private sector organizations, including:

• Start-up companies;
• Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs);
• Private companies;
• Social enterprises; and
• Other eligible private sector entities developing innovative ocean-related solutions.

The Applicants are not required to be from the beneficiary countries; however, implementation of the innovation must take place within at least one of these countries, with acceptance of the government authorities. Partnership with local organizations is strongly encouraged.

What support will selected innovators receive?

Up to 10 winning proposals will be selected through the competitive selection process. Each selected innovator will receive:

• Up to USD 100,000 in financial support through a deliverable-based contract under the Model Innovation Challenge Agreement (MICA);
• Up to 17 months of implementation and incubation program;
• Technical mentoring from experts;
• Project management, monitoring, and reporting support;
• Communications and outreach assistance;
• Fundraising and investment-readiness mentoring;
• Opportunities to engage with investors, development partners, and private sector networks; and
• Increased visibility through global knowledge-sharing platforms and events.

Upon completion of the contract, innovators will be equipped with new skills and experience and positioned to engage with bigger venture capital investors. The successfully implemented innovations will be part of the OIC’s catalogue of proven ocean solutions with transformational socio-economic impacts that can be rapidly upscaled and replicated.

https://dev.oceaninnovationchallenge.org/5th-call-marine-pollution-reduction-coastal-and-marine-ecosystem-restoration-and-sustainable-blue

5th Call: Marine Pollution Reduction, Coastal and Marine Ecosystem restoration and Sustainable Blue Economy | The Ocean Innovation Challenge (OIC) - UNDP