Regenerative Blue Economy Challenge

Calling for solutions to reduce marine pollution and promote ecosystem protection, restoration, and rewilding. This challenge seeks visionary solutions applying the best of science and engineering to deep ocean challenges and aims to help them realize their full potential.

Whether through AI-driven analytics, autonomous data collection platforms, pollution remediation chemistry, or new methods to harvest ocean energy, science and engineering can unlock the promise of the blue economy as a sustainable growth sector, while also regenerating ocean health. By leveraging blue technology and innovation, they can enhance the ability to preserve marine biodiversity, ensure sustainable use of ocean resources, and combat the multifaceted threats facing the oceans, securing a healthier future for the planet.

Focus Areas

• Tackling marine pollution
  • Remediation of marine pollution, with a focus on oil spills, brine outputs and micro/nano plastics.
• Building ocean resilience
  • Solutions that enable the protection and restoration of marine biodiversity or help rewild ocean and coastal ecosystems to deliver effective climate change mitigation and adaptation.
• Advancing ocean-based climate solutions
  • Solutions that leverage the ocean’s role as a carbon sink through nature-based solutions or technological innovations.
• Harnessing ocean knowledge
  • Unlocking the power of ocean data, using machine learning, unique algorithms or other forms of AI.
• Leveraging frontier technologies
  • Novel applications of science and technology that are affordable and context-appropriate, with game changing potential for the ocean.

Benefits for selected Top Innovators

Between 10-20 submissions will be selected as winners, recognized as Top Innovators, and become part of the UpLink Innovation Ecosystem, a curated programme designed for Founders, CEOs, Executive Directors, etc., which provides:

• Award: Up to CHF 300,000 in cash awards distributed amongst challenge winners.
• Access: Opportunity to participate in select World Economic Forum and partner-led events, projects, and communities, including joining the WAVE innovation community.
• Visibility: Global exposure via the Forum and UpLink’s digital media channels and ecosystems.
• Connections: Strategic introductions to challenge ecosystem partners and select organizations in the Forum and UpLink’s networks.
• Targeted support: Programming and support on technical, business, and operational matters.

For more information, visit UpLink.