SOS announces an open call for projects focusing on biodiversity-related marine research and its potential for a societal transition to sustainability. The aim of this call is to foster collaboration, explore innovative ideas, and to test preliminary research questions in the context of SOS.
Call open: 1 – 31 October (closes 16:00 EET)
Decisions: early December
Available funding: up to 50 000 € in total, 5 000 – 20 000 € per project
What we are looking for
The SOS Project Booster proposals should:
- be innovative, bold, and risky, exploring new avenues
- work across at least two disciplines/fields (natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, arts, etc.)
- be linked to one or more of the overarching topics of SOS (WP1-6)
- include reflection on the methodology applied within SOS
- have exactly one lead and a maximum of three co-proponents (at least one of whom is employed at or in a grant agreement with ÅAU)
- have the multidisciplinary/co-creation aspect of the project clearly described.
Proposals are also encouraged to involve outside-ÅAU collaboration and stakeholders.
The total available sum of 50 000 € will be divided among several projects. A single project may apply for between 5,000 and 20,000 € (detailed budget required). The funding may be used for short-term salary, exchange, travel, material, and other expenses. The proposals will be granted as a lump sum. Co-funding is desirable.
Proposals are evaluated on scientific quality. Yet, we particularly value:
- Unconventional and/or high-risk/high-gain projects supporting SOS’s goals (yet, with little potential to be funded through other sources)
- Transdisciplinary research projects (preferably including partners from outside academia)
- Support for SOS’s national and/or international partnerships
The projects, preferably starting in January 2026, must be completed within a year from the start. A two-page project report must be completed and submitted to the SOS steering group at the latest three months after completion of the project.
Who can apply
We welcome applications from both early career and established researchers in all fields that complement and enlarge the SOS research portfolio and strengthen our collocations among researchers within but also outside Åbo Akademi University.
Proponents may – but do not have to – be affiliated with the ÅAU profiling area The Sea and/or SOS. However, each application must involve at least one person employed by or in a grant agreement with ÅAU. Applications that link SOS partners across various universities are particularly welcomed. Each proposed project can have exactly one lead and a maximum of three co-proponents. Proponents can only lead one project and participate in a maximum of three project proposals.
Online Consultations
We will offer online consultation for applicants. More information will be made available once the call opens.
How to apply
Details on how to apply wil be published here as the call opens on 1 October.
Decisions
All applicants will be notified of the decisions in early December.
An evaluation board will discuss and decide on the proposals. To enforce timely decisions, the proposals will be reviewed internally by SOS members who are not part of a proposed project themselves.
Background
Ocean science is needed to understand the pressures on and changes to marine biodiversity, which is central to the green transition and society’s shift towards a more sustainable future. SOS delivers the science that can strengthen the consensus on policymaking options, identify solutions, and guide actions for environmental sustainability, equipping us to address the planetary biodiversity crisis.
In the Archipelago Sea and Åland Island area, SOS studies when and how human actions interact with marine biodiversity in creating wicked problems and aims at creating solutions for these challenges. SOS approaches marine wicked problems through reflexive learning in an inter-/transdisciplinary framework. The work is structured around six work packages (WPs). WPs 1–3 include specific case studies of wicked problems, while WPs 4–6 draw on these, support this work, and synthesise the findings.
This is the second of three SOS Project Booster calls. The next call is planned to take place in 2026.
Contact and questions
For further questions regarding this call, contact Malla Lehtonen (malla.lehtonen@abo.fi) and Prof. Christian Pansch-Hattich (christian.pansch-hattich@abo.fi)
