Turning Ideas into action
Ocean Support is Voice of the Ocean’s gateway for enabling science beyond our own organisation.
In a world where marine science is gravely underfunded, Ocean Support facilitates research that is vital to our understanding of the ocean but would otherwise struggle to move forward. Ocean Support turns promising ideas into reality. It helps to expand what we know about the ocean – and how we protect it.
Are you a researcher with an idea you want to bring to life? Ocean Support may be able to help. Discover more about what it offers and how to apply below.
Where it starts
At the core of Ocean Support is a focus on overlooked potential: individual researchers and small teams with strong ideas but limited access to the tools, equipment and personnel required to realise them.
What it covers
Ocean Support works across disciplines ranging from ocean dynamics and biological responses to habitat mapping and marine archaeology. This breadth allows it to bridge scientific and cultural work – advancing research while also helping to bring the ocean’s human stories to the surface.
How it helps
Ocean Support is not simply a funding body. It also fills critical gaps in infrastructure, expertise and technical capacity, offering tailored, end-to-end support that spans methodology development, use of specialist vessels, hands-on operational assistance from our scientific teams, and the delivery of high-quality data.
Ocean Support in action
Ran II – Restoring critical technology in Antarctica and beyond
In 2024, the advanced underwater research vehicle Ran was lost while studying a key Antarctic glacier. Ocean Support stepped in, and in 2025 Ran was reborn as Ran II, allowing scientists to continue to use the cutting-edge craft to monitor globally important changes and transformations in Antarctica.
bild Sunken Pasts
Sunken pasts – Mapping the seabed of Sweden’s southern coast
As Sweden’s land rebounded after the last Ice Age, ancient shorelines were submerged. With the backing of Ocean Support, seabed surveys along the country’s southern coast are uncovering traces of prehistoric life and lost landscapes under the sea.
Osmund wreck – Researching lost history in the Baltic
With the help of Ocean Support, a 16th-century wreck in Stockholm’s archipelago, known as the ‘Osmund Ship’, is shedding new light on the economic development of northern Europe and the Baltic trading flows that shaped the history of Scandinavia.
Apply for Ocean Support
Ocean Support projects are selected through a decision making process involving both our internal experts and our independent scientific advisory board.
Start an application
Begin the application process. Download our application checklist (pdf).
Co-authorship Policy
Download the Code of Conduct for co-authorship for Voice of the Ocean researchers (pdf).
The Ocean Support application process consists of three stages:
- Submit an initial draft of your project proposal to Voice of the Ocean in advance of the deadline.
- A meeting will then be arranged to discuss the proposal and identify any technical or logistical considerations.
- Submit the final application before the deadline.
The application deadlines will be twice yearly, with decisions expected approximately one month later.
Round 1: Deadline for applications: 1 February
Round 2: Deadline for applications: 1 September
Ready to apply?
Application Process
The process of an application for a VOTO Support project consists of three stages:
- The first draft of the project proposal is sent to VOTO in good time before the VOTO Support deadline, we recommend 4 weeks.
- VOTO arranges a meeting to discuss the suggested project and any changes that need to be made to the proposal due to technical or logistical issues.
- The final version of the project proposal is submitted before the VOTO Support deadline.
Apply for a VOTO Support Project
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