Welcome to the Schmidt Marine Proposals Portal

Schmidt Marine Technology Partners is a program of the Schmidt Family Foundation. Our program supports the development of ocean technologies that solve complex ocean health issues, and in most cases have strong commercialization potential.

Our goal is to tailor our assistance to the needs of individual groups, and to provide long-term support for efforts that show the most promise.

We are happy to support a wide range of entities, whether academic researchers interested in spinning out new technologies, startups working out of garages, non-profits building open-source tech, or anyone else working on an innovative idea with the potential for significant impact.

In December 2024, we will start accepting short applications (500 words or less) on a rolling basis for funding in 2025 . If you have an idea for a technology with commercialization or significant scaling  potential, or are already developing one, we encourage you to submit an initial project synopsis proposal. We will contact you only if we have an interest in discussing your proposal further. We accept applications for all regions.

Funding Focus Areas

We are looking for proposals centered on the development of novel technologies (technology readiness level 2-6) in the following four focus areas:

Sustaining Fisheries: We are looking for technologies relating to reducing bycatch, reducing ghost gear, surveying fish populations, increasing seafood supply-chain transparency, increasing transparency at sea,  gear redesign for increased sustainability, marine protected area monitoring and enforcement, or any other technology that increases the sustainability of the world’s wild-caught fisheries.

Habitat Health: We are looking for technologies that restore balance to ocean ecosystems. This includes technologies for the restoration and/or protection of key marine species, such as seaweed, seagrass, shellfish, and coral. We are also looking for technologies that monitor, mitigate, or prevent coastal pollution, or reduce the harm caused by invasive species. 

Ocean Observing: We are looking for technologies that drive the field of oceanographic research forward. This includes novel sensor technologies, technologies relating to ocean data collection, processing, and sharing, or any other technology that allows researchers to do their work cheaper, longer, or on a larger geographic scope.

Network Support: We are looking for groups building services and tools to support the operational backbone of the marine tech community at large. This includes ocean hubs, competitions, community infrastructure and more.

We are not interested in proposals relating to the following subjects: plastic pollution, oil spill cleanup, shipping efficiency and emissions, aquaculture, or marine renewable energy.

For further details on what Schmidt Marine funds please read FAQs here.