Big Ideas for Oceans

The Oceans Department and the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability are pleased to announce a new call for proposals to the funding opportunity Big Ideas for Oceans - through generous support from MAC3 and the Stanford Woods Institute.  Big Ideas for Oceans is now accepting faculty proposals for the 2025 grant cycle.

This new program provides seed grants totaling from $10,000 to $150,000, for up to two years, for interdisciplinary research projects that seek to promote new understanding of ocean processes and marine life, and to inform solutions for ocean health and sustainability. Research projects are evaluated for their intellectual merit, potential for new breakthroughs, potential contribution to solving critical problems, and the project’s potential to secure additional funding. 

Big Ideas for Oceans will support multidisciplinary seed grant projects, including those that may be viewed as high risk/high impact, focused on the oceans and coastal areas, including but not limited to research that addresses large marine animals, marine protected areas (MPAs), coral reefs, or mesopelagic environments, and with a geographical preference for the tropical Pacific and Antarctica. Proposals on other timely and compelling questions and areas are also welcome and will be given full consideration.

The vision and main goal are to create new knowledge in support of ocean health and ocean-based solutions for climate change or other grand challenges, most likely through interdisciplinary approaches.  Priority will be given to projects involving junior faculty, post-docs, and graduate students, and to diverse project teams, including gender and underrepresented groups from diverse backgrounds, and those from Pacific Islands states.