International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) 2024 R&D Award
Arctic and Northern Regions
Environment, Energy and Natural Resources
Oceans, Fisheries and Aquaculture
Deadlines
Academic Unit: Inquire within unit
Memorial Deadline: Tuesday 28th, November 2023
External Deadline: Friday 1st, December 2023
Description
ITOPF is recognised and respected globally as a source of objective technical expertise in the area of accidental spills of oil and chemicals from ships. Investing in R&D is one way we fulfill our mission of promoting effective response to marine spills of oil, chemicals and other substances.
Each year, over 7800 million tons of oil, chemicals, raw materials and finished goods are safely delivered by sea. Nevertheless, from time to time, accidents do occur that result in pollution of the marine environment by oil or chemicals. The severity of the pollution depends upon many factors. Continuous improvement in the understanding of the fate and effects of these substances will lead to improvements in accepted ‘best practice’ for spill response and environmental monitoring.
Over the past decades, ITOPF has encouraged and promoted many R&D projects, and funded some, such as DISCOBIOL. Therefore, the creation of this Award in 2011 was a natural step for ITOPF’s shipowner Members and Associate Members, and their Protection and Indemnity (P&I) insurers who recognise the importance of nurturing high quality R&D.
Since the Award was established, more than £600,000 has been distributed to 12 separate R&D projects worldwide on behalf of ITOPF’s shipowners and their P&I insurers.
From 2021, £60,000 is available for short-term projects (1-2 years) and up to £40,000 for PhD projects plus a student stipend and university fees. This supports PhD or short-term projects which have the potential to lead to improvements in spill preparation and response, as well as new techniques for monitoring and restoring environmental resources.
How to apply?
The application process for the next Award is open from 1st September 2023.
The deadline for receipt of applications is 1st December 2023 with the intention of granting the Award by the end of April 2024.
There is no limit to the number of times you can apply for the ITOPF R&D Award.
If you have any questions regarding the Award or if you are unsure whether your project will qualify, please don’t hesitate to contact us at any time, either at rdaward@itopf.org or duartesoares@itopf.org.
Download ITOPF R&D Award application form.
Who can qualify?
The ITOPF R&D Award is open to any reputable R&D establishment or other organisation worldwide intending to fund a candidate (individual or project team) to undertake research. Applications are invited from all academic disciplines, although preference will be given to those with an applied scientific focus, such as marine biology, chemistry, ecology, physics, engineering and economics.
For more details please see the ITOPF website, here.