Task forces, projects and working groups

Support is provided to initiatives proposed by POGO members, which aim to identify and fill gaps in global ocean observation. This call is open to the POGO member institutes, to advance ocean observations while at the same time strengthening the ties of the POGO network.

Members can apply for funding for Projects, Working Groups and/or Training Initiatives which are dedicated to specific priority areas directly relevant to POGO’s core mission, i.e. sustained, long-term ocean observing systems and shared use of infrastructure, data and information. Working Groups should also use other sources of funding where possible and should have a short, pre-determined life-span (e.g. 1-2 years). Working Groups provide a platform for the members to discuss and produce recommendations for addressing key issues. They may also focus on solutions for improving ocean observations, such as new technologies, novel partnerships and funding sources, and improving data access and visualisation. Proposals for joint Working Groups between POGO and its partner organisations are also welcome.

A call for proposals will be issued to the members and scientific community once per year, following approval of budget during the POGO annual meeting.  Click here to find out how to apply.

POGO Task Forces are established to address priorities identified by POGO members during the POGO annual meeting.

For 2023, in addition to the normal annual call, POGO invited groups of members to apply for seed funding for programmes/projects either already endorsed by the UN Ocean Decade, or workshops to plan new project/programmes to be submitted to UNDOS for endorsement.  In the table below, these are labelled as Decade Implementing Partner (DIP) Activities.


Current Activities

Years Type Activity
2024 - 2025ProjectLow-cost hydrophones
2024DIP ActivityConsumer-grade drones
2023 - 2025ProjectAgulhas Workshop
2023 - 2024DIP ActivityMarine eDNA monitoring network
2023 - 2024Working groupCMHIR
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2023 - 2024ProjectCOLaB
2022-2023Working groupCEODOS Chile
2021 - 2023Working groupBEACON
2020-2021ProjectBIOTTA

Completed activities

Years Type Activity
2023 - 2024ProjectOpenMODs 3.0
2023ProjectSOOS Symposium
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2023ProjectTrevor Platt Science Foundation (TPSF) Symposium & Training
2022-2023Working groupAction for Sustainable Ocean Acidification Research (ASOAR)
2022-2023Working groupGulf of Mexico Oceanographic and Meteorological Observation Group (GMOMOG)
2021-2023 (extended)ProjectCOLLECT – Citizen Observation of Local Litter in Coastal ECosysTems
2021-2022ProjectSEAGRASS – South East Asia project for General Regional Awareness of Seagrass by Society
2021ProjectIOC-UNESCO Ocean Best Practices Workshop 5
2020-2022ProjectOceanographic Data Acquisition GoG
2019 - 2022ProjectOpenMODs 2.0
2019Working groupDNA sampling tools for the global CPR Survey
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2018-2019ProjectOpenMODs – Open Access Marine Observation Devices
2018Working groupPlanning the implementation of a global long-term observing and data sharing strategy for macroalgal communities
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2018Working groupEarth Observation for Ecology and Epidemiology of Water-associated Diseases
2017- 2021TaskforcePOGO Biological Observations Taskforce
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2017TaskforcePOGO Industrial Liaison Council (PILC)
2016 - 2017Working groupObserving and Understanding the Ocean below Antarctic Sea Ice and Ice Shelves (OASIIS)
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2015Working groupObserving and Modelling the Meridional Overturning Circulation in the South Atlantic (SAMOC)
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2015Working groupInternational Quiet Ocean Experiment (IQOE): Implement Science Recommendations
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