Archipelagic and island states face some of the world’s most urgent ocean challenges — climate vulnerability, marine plastic pollution, and pressure on blue economies — yet often lack the research infrastructure to address them. Working with UNDP and the AIS Forum, we designed the strategic blueprint for a new R&D Center built to close that gap.
The Center operates as a Collaborative Innovation Network (COINs): a hub connecting governments, academia, industry, and local communities across the Pacific, Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Indian Oceans. Rather than starting from scratch, it orchestrates existing initiatives around four flagship priorities — climate mitigation and adaptation, blue economy enhancement, marine plastic debris reduction, and maritime governance.
Beyond the strategy, we helped shape the Center’s innovation accelerator function — turning research into ventures through mentorship, tech transfer, and staged funding — and contributed to O.C.E.A.N. AI, a web tool (developed with DataVerz) that matches curated problems with expert talent across the AIS network to fast-track team building and solution co-creation.
The Center is designed to scale through regional university hubs in Malta, Jamaica, Fiji, and Indonesia, backed by a network of 75+ private sector partners, 75+ NGO and community engagements, and 100+ research groups.
