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MSC Student Research Grants support postgraduate students around the world who are studying fisheries science.

What are Student Research Grants?

The program provides up to £5,000 per postgraduate student project for travel and other support.

Projects must have the objective of studying some aspect of environmental improvement, performance or best practice in relation to a specific fishery and the MSC Fisheries Standard.

The Student Research Grant was formerly known as the Scholarship Research program.

Who can apply?

Grants are available to current postgraduate fisheries science students, studying for their Master's course or PhD anywhere in the world. Integrated Master's students are eligible to apply during their final year only.  

The fishery the student is collaborating with must be one of the following:

For information on eligible fisheries or to confirm the status of one, please visit Fishery Progress or contact [email protected]

How to apply

Applicants must be able to accept the Student Research Grants Terms and Conditions and the Ocean Stewardship Fund Privacy Policy below.

Applications must be submitted in English via email to [email protected]

Applications for 2023 close at 23:59 GMT on 5 December 2022.


MSC Student Research Grants - Application Form
Date of issue: 15 September 2022
Download download file DOCX - 1 MB
MSC Student Research Grant - Application Guidance
Date of issue: 15 September 2022
Download download file PDF - 1 MB
MSC Student Research Grants - Terms and Conditions
Date of issue: 15 September 2022
Download download file PDF - 1 MB
MSC Student Research Grant - Guidance on disseminating research findings
Date of issue: 15 September 2022
Download download file PDF - 1 MB
MSC Student Research Grants - Declarations Form
Date of issue: 15 September 2022
Download download file DOCX - 1 MB
MSC Ocean Stewardship Fund - Privacy Policy
Date of issue: 15 September 2022
Download download file PDF - 1 MB

A global fund

Since 2012, the MSC has awarded over £129,000 to 32 student projects in 18 countries. 

In 2022, £24,475 was awarded to students carrying out projects based in Indonesia and the United Kingdom. Projects include:

Previous recipients

Expand the drop-down sections below to see where we have awarded Student Research Fund grants since 2012.  

2019

Bianca Haas, University of Tasmania, Australia
Bianca studied how Regional Fisheries Management Organisations respond to sustainability initiatives and environmental agreements such as the UN SDGs.

Guilherme Suzano Coqueiro, Federal University of Paraná, Brazil
How small-scale traditional community fisheries in southern Brazil have been adapting to using bycatch reduction devices.

Rodrigo Oyanedel, University of Oxford, UK
Rodrigo is researching the illegal fishing of common hake in Chile which is affecting local fishers that depend on hake fishing for their livelihoods. He will investigate the drivers for illegal fishing and look at how the fishery can work to prevent illegal fishing.

Santiago Bianchi, Universidad Nacional in Mar del Plata and Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero, Argentina
Santiago studied how to reduce spider crab bycatch in the Argentine southern king crab fisheries.

2018

Zelin Chen, University of Washington, USA 
Researched management strategies for a quota-based management system in China’s red swimming crab fishery.  

Matthew Coleman, Heriot-Watt University, UK
Trialled a new way of tagging European lobster to monitoring stocks off the coast of Scotland  

Laurissa Christie, University of Windsor, Canada
Researched the influence of sea ice on deep-water food web dynamics in the Arctic.  

Catherine Seguel, Universidad Austral de Chile
Mapped the value chain of the Chilean marmola crab fishery at a regional, national, international level.

Ahmad Catur Widyatmoko, University of Basque Country, Spain and MER Consortium
Studied the use of Fish Aggregating Devices in small-scale Indonesian tuna fisheries

2017

Lily Zhao, University of Washington & Stockholm Resilience Centre 
Mapped the trade flows of octopus in East Africa.

Timothy Munyikana Kakai, Pwani University in Kenya
Trialled the use of LED lights on nets to reduce turtle bycatch in Kenyan artisanal fisheries.

2016

Hunter Snyder, Harvard Business School & Memorial University 
Investigated best practice in sustainable seaweed aquaculture in Indonesia.

Ana Crisol Méndez Medina, El Colegio de la Frontera
Conducted social research around illegal fishing and the enforcement systems established by local fishing cooperatives in Mexico.  

Rachel Mullins, Rhodes University in South Africa 
Used genetic sequencing technology to examine population structures of yellowfin tuna in South Africa

2015

Joao Rodrigues, University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain
Investigated the environmental and economic challenges of seafood supply chains in developing countries. 

Cristina Andres, University of Huelva, Spain
Studied the distribution of tuna species surrounding a UNESCO World Heritage site, Cocos Island National Park, in the eastern Pacific.

2014

Josu De Isusi Rivero, University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain
Researched the adaptive capacity of the port of Vigo in global seafood markets. 


Fanny Vessaz, Federal University of Paraná in Brazil
Researched the use of bycatch reduction devices in the southern Brazilian artisanal seabob shrimp trawl fishery

2013

Miguel Cosmelli, University of California, Santa Barbara (USA)
Conducted a socioeconomic assessment of the artisanal Lobster fishery in Juan Fernandez Islands, Chile.

2012

José Alberto Zepeda Domínguez, Institut de Ciències del Mar – Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (ICM-CSIC)
Researched management structures for successful fisheries in Gulf of California fisheries.

Floor Bokkes, Wageningen University, Netherlands
Analysed the effectiveness of the Blue Swimming Crab Fisheries Improvement Project in Indonesia. 

Chris Poonian, University of Nottingham, UK
Studied coastal fisheries management traditions of the Bedu of South Sinai and implications for modern‐day conservation in Egypt.

Giulia Gorelli, Institut de Ciències del Mar – Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (ICM-CSIC)
Studied the effects of closing the fishery of the deep-sea shrimp Aristeus atennatus during winter season in the Mediterranean.

Student Research Grant project features

Traditional knowledge and modern devices

Traditional knowledge and modern devices

Guilherme Suzano Coqueiro's research project is working to see how modern devices and traditional knowledge can work together to improve Brazilian shrimp fisheries’ sustainability.

Tracking anchored FAD use in Indonesian fisheries

Tracking anchored FAD use in Indonesian fisheries

Fish aggregating devices or FADs are a type of fishing gear used by many small-scale fisheries. Ahmad Catur Widyatmoko tracks their use in Indonesian tuna fisheries.

Could genetics help sustain yellowfin tuna?

Could genetics help sustain yellowfin tuna?

Rachel B. Mullins has used MSC research funding to conduct next-generation DNA sequencing of yellowfin tuna.

Collaborating for more sustainable fishing

Collaborating for more sustainable fishing

Fanny Vessaz's research involved assessing bycatch reduction devices in the southern Brazilian artisanal seabob shrimp trawl fishery.

Find out more

Ocean Stewardship Fund

Ocean Stewardship Fund

The MSC's Ocean Stewardship Fund offers grants to certified sustainable fisheries, improving fisheries and fisheries investing in scientific research.

Science and Research Fund

Science and Research Fund

The Science and Research Fund provides grants of up to £50,000 to support research projects that help fisheries meet and maintain sustainability best practice.

Science and Research

Science and Research

Our research collaborations deepen our understanding of sustainable fishing and supply chain traceability.