CORDAP will offer USD1.5 million in research grants through the Coral Local Innovation Program (CLIP)
PRESS RELEASE, March 3rd, 2025
The G20 Coral Research and Development Accelerator Platform (CORDAP) announces the launch of a new funding program, the Coral Local Innovation Program (CLIP). With a total of USD1.5 million allocated to the call, CORDAP aims to support researchers working on finding local, affordable coral conservation and restoration solutions in developing countries. Applicants must be from low and middle-income countries and will be awarded up to USD 100,000 for up to two years. The deadline for submission is April 18th , 2025, and funded projects are expected to commence in late 2025.
CORDAP has already committed USD 28 million in coral research and restoration projects around the world, and is currently supporting the work of more than 130 researchers.
An urgent call
Corals and reefs are critical, not only for the thousands of species they support directly but also for the approximately 1 billion people who depend on them for income and coastal protection. Presently, 44% of reef-building coral species are at risk of extinction. In the past two years, 77% of the world’s coral reefs were exposed to severe bleaching heat stress. With 2024 declared the warmest year on record—1.55°C above pre-industrial levels—the stakes for coral conservation have never been higher.
CORDAP-funded project “COSMARINDO: Enhancing coral restoration in Indonesia through monitoring and education”, which is led by Dr. Mareike Huhn. Photo by Alexis Chappuis.
About the Coral Local Innovation Program (CLIP) 2025
CORDAP, a G20 initiative, is the only international organization fully dedicated to funding research and development focused on tropical and cold-water coral conservation and restoration. The Coral Local Innovation Program aims to:
- Encourage local technology development and innovative approaches to coral conservation and restoration in developing countries.
- Enhance the capacity of local scientists, researchers, and organizations to conduct coral and reef research and development activities in developing countries.
- Address critical knowledge gaps in local coral conservation and restoration.
Funding received from CORDAP through CLIP may be used for coral research, development, and educational activities, including the purchase of equipment, materials and supplies, consulting services, and project staff salaries.
The CLEAN REEFS’ project received funding from CORDAP, in 2023, to develop a open-source tool capable of identifying and mapping pollution risks across coral ecosystems, based on field data collected in the Fiji and Solomon Islands.
Carlos Duarte, Executive Director of CORDAP emphasized the critical nature of the funding program:
“At CORDAP, we recognize that addressing the coral crisis requires a truly global effort, one that empowers researchers in the regions most affected by coral degradation. Low and middle-income countries face significant barriers to accessing the resources and funding needed to develop innovative solutions on coral research and restoration. Our new funding program is designed to reduce the existing gap between the Global North and Global South by providing critical funding to scientists and institutions in developing countries and ensure that global solutions are adapted to local contexts.”
The most competitive proposals will be those that not only produce disruptive technologies or approaches for saving or restoring coral reefs, but also grow the capacity to conduct groundbreaking coral research in organizations and communities, in particular those located in developing nations.
The deadline for submissions of CLIP 2025 proposals is April 18, 2025. A Q&A webinar will be held on March 18, 2025, 12:00 UTC to discuss the application process. For more information on the Coral Local Innovation Program, to register on the webinar, and to learn how to submit a proposal visit cordap.org/clip-award/.
Notes to Editors
About CORDAP: The G20 Coral Research & Development Accelerator Platform (CORDAP) was launched in 2020 by the G20 to fast-track research and development (R&D) solutions to save the world’s corals. CORDAP brings together the best minds worldwide, in a transdisciplinary approach, to accelerate international research and development to supply the technologies and innovations required to secure a future for corals and reefs.
Contact
Carla Lourenço, Communications Specialist
Email: carla.lourenco@kaust.edu.sa
Website: www.cordap.org
Twitter: @CORDAP_
Instagram: @CORDAP_
Linked In: G20 CORDAP