Funding Initiatives Most Relevant to Marine & Maritime Research

Marine and maritime research underpins Europe’s response to climate change, offshore energy transition, coastal resilience, and the growth of the blue economy. While funding pathways can appear complex, a relatively clear group of organisations and programmes consistently supports ocean science, maritime technology, environmental monitoring, and applied marine innovation.

Below is a consolidated overview of the main organisations shaping marine and maritime research funding, listed together for clarity and reference.

Strong thematic fit (marine, ocean, climate, environment)

• SAFE PLACE FOR SCIENCE
  Explicitly supports climate, environment, and health research.
• Choose France for Science
  Hosts international researchers across environmental and marine sciences.
• Research – Innovate 2021-2027
  Strong relevance for maritime innovation, coastal resilience, and marine tech (SME + research focus).
• ATTRACT Programme
  Suitable for marine sensing, data systems, environmental monitoring technologies.
• EXPRO Programme
  Long-term funding ideal for ambitious ocean or climate-related research agendas.

Excellent for marine researchers by career stage (theme-open)

• Emmy Noether Programme
  Ideal for marine scientists establishing independent research groups.
• Leibniz-Junior Research Groups
  Very strong fit for applied marine, coastal, and environmental research.
• Helmholtz Investigator Group
  Particularly relevant due to Helmholtz centres’ strength in ocean, climate, and Earth systems research.
• Max Planck Research Groups
  Suitable for fundamental ocean, climate, and biogeochemical research.
• FWF Principal Investigator Projects
  Theme-open funding applicable to marine ecology, hydrology, and climate–ocean links.

Mobility & international collaboration (important for marine research)

• Mercator Fellowship
  Ideal for field campaigns, shared marine infrastructure, and long-term collaboration.
• INTER-ACTION Programme
  Useful for cross-border marine and maritime cooperation.
• National Scholarship Programme
  Short- to mid-term mobility for marine research stays.

Return & reintegration (blue economy regions)

• Lendület Programme
  Supports team building, applicable to freshwater–marine interfaces.
• Polish Returns
  Useful for marine science linked to the Baltic Sea.
• HUN-REN Welcome Home
  Flexible for environmental and aquatic sciences.

Together, these organisations form the backbone of Europe’s marine and maritime research funding landscape — shaping the future of ocean science and the blue economy.