International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) 2026 R&D Award
Environment, Energy and Natural Resources
Oceans, Fisheries and Aquaculture
Deadlines
Academic Unit: Inquire with unit
Memorial Deadline: Monday 24th, November 2025
External Deadline: Monday 1st, December 2025
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 13 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.
See here for more information.
Closing date – 1st December 2025