UNDP is hunting for 10 ocean protectors — $100,000 each to save the seas

The UN Development Programme, with Sweden's development agency Sida, has opened the fifth round of its Ocean Innovation Challenge: up to ten innovators will each receive as much as $100,000, plus seventeen months of mentoring and introductions to investors. The call targets marine pollution and plastics, ecosystem restoration, and the sustainable blue economy, with priority for ideas from Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam — and a stated preference for women- and youth-led teams. Applications close November 15. Since 2020 the challenge has backed 36 projects in 29 countries with $8.4 million, which went on to unlock more than $25 million in follow-on funding.