Engagement with Early Career Ocean Professionals
ECOPS – Early Career Ocean Professionals self-identify as having 10 years or less professional experience in any ocean-related field. Professional experience can come from post-secondary education, volunteer positions, paid roles, and employment.
ECOPs are vital to the future of ocean-related work, bringing fresh ideas, energy, and diverse expertise to the field. However, ECOPs can face significant challenges navigating their career paths, such as limited access to professional development, funding, and networks.
Supporting the needs of ECOPs is crucial for nurturing the next generation of leaders who will drive forward ocean science, policy, and conservation efforts. EU4OceanObs is committed to empowering ECOPs and ensuring their involvement in different activities and events related to the project’s objectives to strengthen ocean observing, data sharing, modelling, forecasting, and development of downstream services and applications for society.
ECOPs advancing
the ocean observation value chain

ECOPs play a crucial role in the Earth and ocean observation value chain by improving diversity and inclusiveness, keeping the observation value chain relevant and accessible to future generations and fostering innovation. ECOPs also leverage new, interdisciplinary collaborative approaches and support the long-term sustainability of Earth observation projects.
Facilitating ECOP advancement
and networking
EU4OceanObs supports ECOPs from across the globe to participate in and become involved in key events and activities.

Co-led by GEO Blue Planet’s EU office with funding from EU4OceanObs, the OceanBRIDGES )Bridging (Ocean) Research, Innovation and Diversity across Generations of Experts and Stakeholders) task team facilitates expertise-sharing ECOPs and Experienced (mid to late career) Ocean Professionals (EOPs). OceanBRIDGES is part of the UN Ocean Decade ECOPS program.
Events
Testimonials
My tenure with the GEO Blue Planet Knauss Marine Policy Fellow] initiative has been an exhilarating ride, an opportunity to unleash the full potential of my diverse skills and interests… GEO Blue Planet has been an eye-opener, expanding my horizons and granting me the privilege of participating as a panelist and presenter at various international conferences including the NAP Expo in Santiago, Chile, the GEO Symposium, and Open Data Open Knowledge Symposium in Geneva along with the opportunity to visit many countries in Europe.
As a native of the Caribbean islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, I was drawn to GEO Blue Planet’s mission of promoting the use of ocean and coastal observational data to support policy and decision making in regions of the world most susceptible to marine and coastal related issues such as large ocean states and developing countries. Additionally, as a geospatial biologist characterizing the spatiotemporal population dynamics of disruptive jellyfish species in the Chesapeake Bay, I was highly impressed not only by the far reaching applications of remote sensing in supporting the sustainable management of coastal and marine resources, but more so by the vast network of scientists, Earth Observation experts and decision makers from across the world who worked together to provide actionable outcomes based on stakeholder needs.
GEO Blue Planet’s commitment to fostering collaboration, sharing knowledge, and translating it into actionable outcomes is inspiring. Together, we are creating an ecosystem of science, technology, and policy that supports not just our oceans, but the communities and industries that rely on them. It’s an honour to contribute to an initiative that truly believes in making a positive impact on our world.
In October 2024, I had the pleasure of attending the AAORIA Forum 2024 of the All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance in Ottawa, Canada. As an Early Career Ocean Professional (ECOP) representative sponsored by GEO Blue Planet, I was honoured to be the sole participant from Morocco. This forum, organized by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the European Commission, and the OKEANO CSA, provided an excellent platform to engage with other early-career professionals from the UK, South Africa, Ireland, and Canada in an intergenerational dialogue. We had the opportunity to develop a policy brief addressing one of the key marine challenges, focusing on ocean observation in the Atlantic.
As the only ECOP from my country and from the Caribbean region, I would like to graciously thank my sponsors. My participation was funded by the Horizon Europe Project, EU4OceanObs [through the OceanBRIDGES initiative]. This was my first interaction with the AAORIA community, despite its scope directly aligning with that of the IMA’s, and as a direct extension my professional experience as an ocean researcher. There were a number of meaningful connections during this experience that were only made possible by my physical attendance at the fora. … It was truly an impactful experience, interacting with the All-Atlantic community, and participating as an ECOP during the Intergenerational Dialogue Event. Looking forward to more!
Attending the All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance (AAORIA) Forum in Ottawa, Canada deepened my knowledge of addressing global ocean challenges, broadened my understanding of coastal resilience strategies, expanded my network, and enhanced my communication, presentation and moderation skills. These experiences have empowered me to be able to contribute to science-policy dialogues at international fora.
I am grateful to my sponsor, [the Horizon Europe Project EU4OceanObs through OceanBRIDGES] for funding my participation in this event.




