Answering questions about our global ocean requires a global and interdisciplinary network of marine scientists. Interaction with the Global South is crucial. Within the framework of international cooperation agreements between VLIZ and scientific institutions in the Global South, but also beyond, VLIZ awards travel grants. These grants allow promising students and early career professionals to exchange knowledge and gain practical experience during a short stay. For example, by participating in an international summer school organised by a Flemish marine research group. The grants also offer these early career scientists the opportunity - in line with their expertise - to participate in an international marine conference taking place in Belgium and (co-)organised by a Flemish marine research group.
DonATe to Support Travel Grants for Early career scientists from the global South
Travel grants boost the professional career of the early career marine scientists. Moreover, it promotes contacts between the research groups in Flanders and those in the South, because the ocean knows no borders.
The candidates should be enrolled in an MSc or PhD programme in marine sciences and be under 35 years of age. Through a motivation letter, scientists can apply, completed with their CV, a letter of consent from their supervisor and a copy of their master's degree and/or proof of their PhD scholarship.
When a new grant is launched, you will read the details here and we will communicate it within the marine research landscape by sending out a 'call for proposals'.
Our contribution: with the travel grant, we enable young marine scientists to fully participate in the summer school or conference. The travel grant includes the cost of the flight, accommodation and registration fee. We determine the budget for the travel grant per event and fund it through The Sea as a Good Cause.
Your donation serves to enable travel grants for promising young marine scientists from the Global South. Donations can be made via the webshop or by transferring to the Flanders Marine Institute's philanthropy bank account number: BE70 0017 1687 3425 with the reference Gift for travel grants. Donations from EUR 40 per year are tax deductible. Do you wish to sponsor? Please contact filantropie@vliz.be and we will look at the possibilities together.
In 2023, The Sea as a Good Cause, gave promising scientists the opportunity to participate in the international Blue Science and Technology summer training (organised by UGain) which took place from 3 - 14 July in Ghent, Ostend and Zeeland. The honour fell to Javiera active at IFOP in Chile and Flor affiliated at ESPOL in Ecuador. Participants of the summer training received a range of multidisciplinary lectures and workshops, and were immersed during unique site visits. They covered topics such as sustainability, aquaculture, coastal protection, blue biotechnology, marine spatial planning, social and innovative and entrepreneurship and so many more exciting topics.
In 2017 and 2018, we awarded travel grants to three promising students from Kenya on the one hand (Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, Technical University of Mombasa and the University of Nairobi), and to three South American students on the other (Colombia - Comision Colombiana del Oceano, Panama - Ministerio del Ambiente Panama and Peru - Instituto del Mar de Peru). In each case, they participated at the VLIZ Marine Science Day combined with knowledge exchange with several marine research groups in Flanders.