The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) and the International Network for Advancing Science and Policy (INASP), today announce the launch of the debut Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP) Scholarships Training course.
The new OCPP Scholarships Training Programme, co-developed by the ACU and INASP, aims to enhance the professional development of OCPP scholars. The bespoke course will equip participants with the skills and knowledge needed to translate their marine research into real-world action, covering topics including policy, engaging local communities, and proposal and grant writing.
The OCPP scholars are a cohort of early career researchers studying Master’s degree courses in marine science and undertaking research to help protect marine environments across the global south.
Open exclusively to OCPP scholars, the Training Programme is comprised of three modules, developed by experts in the field of sustainable development. The modules include:
- Effectively engaging with policy and practice – tools and strategies for impact.
- Creating knowledge together: successfully engaging communities in marine research.
- Writing winning PhD and postdoc proposals.
The training will equip participants with strategies to navigate relevant research and policy ecosystems, engage with key stakeholders, identify opportunities for collective action, and communicate their research for maximum impact. The training will also encourage international collaboration and ‘cohort building’ between the OCPP scholars, further enhancing their professional network and career prospects.
The course will be delivered via online modules consisting of synchronous live sessions and asynchronous group-based applied activities. Module 1 will run August-September, Module 2 October-November, with Module 3 taking place Feb-March 2025.
Professor Colin Riordan CBE, Chief Executive and Secretary General of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), said: ‘We are delighted to launch the OCPP Scholarships Training Programme, co-developed with INASP, offering a world-class professional development opportunity to OCPP scholars.
The OCPP scholarships are already funding vital marine environmental research and postgraduate study in climate-vulnerable settings across the global south. Our unique Training Programme is an exciting development to OCPP and will undoubtedly help scholars to take their careers to the next level, learn more about navigating policy ecosystems, engaging with stakeholders, and disseminating their research – all essential career development skills for aspiring researchers.’
Jonathan Harle, Executive Director, INASP said: ‘INASP is delighted to launch this new programme with the ACU that will enable OCPP scholars to apply their research expertise to the needs of their nations and communities. Each year we see how powerfully digital learning can be - especially when it's developed and delivered with experts who understand from first-hand experience what it means to be a young scholar in the global south.
Not only can digital learning assist researchers to develop essential skills and solve common problems, but it can boost confidence and help them to navigate the challenge early years of their academics careers. OCPP scholars will also be able to join our established community of 14,000 early career researchers, enabling them to forge new networks and connect to their peers across the world.’
Neil Hornby, Chief Executive of Cefas, said: ‘Cefas is delighted that these new training courses will be available to the Ocean Country Partnership Programme ACU scholars, to enhance the impact that their studies will have on real world changes for a thriving marine environment and coastal community livelihoods. Supporting the next generation of leaders with this professional development in their marine science careers means increased benefits to the environment in the countries where the Ocean Country Partnership Programme is working.’
This news follows the announcements last year that the OCPP Scholarships have reopened for a second consecutive year in in the South Pacific (Solomon Islands and Vanuatu) and extended for the first time to students in the Maldives, Ghana, India, Bangladesh, Belize, Senegal, Mozambique and Sri Lanka.
About the OCPP scholarships
The OCPP scholarships are funded through the UK’s £500 million Blue Planet Fund, and are open to students from 10 different ODA-eligible countries who wish to undertake a Master’s degree in their own country and develop a career in marine science.
Hosted by prestigious universities across the global south, the OCPP scholarships fund a range of Master’s degree courses in marine science, enabling scholars to undertake world-class research and innovation to help protect marine environments.
By supporting early career researchers, the scholarships will contribute to the conservation and sustainable management of marine resources and strengthen responses to marine environmental challenges.
The scholarships will also make a positive and tangible impact on the livelihoods of coastal communities that depend on healthy marine ecosystems, as scholars harness their on-the-ground knowledge, conduct vital research and help develop local solutions to local marine environmental issues.
The OCPP scholarship pilot programme in 2022 was the first collaboration between the ACU and Cefas following the signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in May 2022, formalising their partnership on research capacity strengthening activities in the areas of environmental science. The ACU has been appointed to administer the OCPP Scholarships on behalf of the Programme.
The OCPP is delivered by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
For the latest information on the OCPP scholarships, please visit http://www.acu.ac.uk/ocpp/
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About INASP
INASP works in partnership with organisations across the majority world to strengthen teaching, learning, and research capabilities, with a focus on gender-responsive and inclusive solutions. They have a 30-year history of partnership with universities, and research institutions, and a global team of experts spanning Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Their vision is of research and knowledge at the heart of development – where decisions are informed by relevant and rigorous evidence, and where knowledge is created with the communities it is intended to serve. That requires many voices, many institutions and many types of knowledge. They call it an equitable knowledge ecosystem. Their mission is to support Southern individuals and institutions to make that possible.
About Cefas
The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) is a world leader in marine science and technology, providing innovative solutions for the aquatic environment, biodiversity and food security. Cefas is an Executive Agency of Defra and the UK’s most diverse centre for applied marine and freshwater science and research. For more information about Cefas visit www.cefas.co.uk and follow @CefasGovUK
About the Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP)
The Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP) supports countries to strengthen marine science expertise, develop science-based policy and management tools and create educational resources for coastal communities.
The programme is funded through Official Development Assistance (ODA) as part of the UK’s £500 million Blue Planet Fund. Through the OCPP, the UK government partners with ODA-eligible countries to deliver tangible and positive impacts on the livelihoods of coastal communities that depend on healthy marine ecosystems.
The OCPP is delivered by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).