Commonwealth Blue Charter Capacity Audit

Background

The Commonwealth Blue Charter affirms our collective commitment to preserving and nurturing the world's oceans. Part of this includes tackling marine pollution – specifically the issue of marine plastics, which are drastically affecting the health of our oceans, marine life, and the Blue Economy.

As part of the Commonwealth Marine Plastics Research & Innovation Framework (MPRIF), the ACU has been awarded funding by the UK Government's Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), to run a programme of work that will support research and innovation in marine plastics.

The programme will be delivered through two core activities:

• An audit of research and innovation capacity across Commonwealth universities
• ACU Blue Charter Fellowships

Commonwealth Blue Charter Capacity Audit

Commonwealth universities are home to expert researchers, many of whom are based in countries that are being directly affected by climate change and marine plastics pollution.

The audit will address three areas of the MPRIF:

1. Preventing plastics from becoming waste and getting into the oceans in the first place – working towards a circular economy
2. Developing low carbon sustainable alternatives to plastic
3. Creating sustainable options for cleaning up the marine environment

By taking part in the audit, you will help map the current status of marine plastics research across the Commonwealth and build a picture of where future capacity building efforts could be targeted and new research partnerships could be built.

We are no longer looking for universities to participate in the audit.