At the "love your ocean" initiative at boot Düsseldorf, the world's largest water sports trade fair, the German Ocean Foundation welcomed more than 80 companies, initiatives, projects, universities and start-ups that are committed to marine and climate protection from 18 to 26 January 2025.

The Ocean Forum of the German Ocean Foundation took place on 21 January on the Water Pixel World stage of the "love your ocean" initiative at boot Düsseldorf. Representatives from universities, NGOs and researchers spoke at the forum, addressing topics such as deep-sea mining, ocean literacy, octopus intelligence and European marine policy. 

We congratulate Ambiente Europeo on winning the ocean tribute Award 2025 at the BLUE MOTION NIGHT at boot Düsseldorf.

This year's winner is the organization Ambiente Europeo with the SeaLabs project. SeaLabs enables sailors to collect important marine data in remote areas and turn every trip into a research expedition. To this end, the company equips participants with affordable sensor technology and an intuitive app and uses the potential of the sailing community to obtain large data sets.

You can now apply for an FÖJ position at the foundation for the year 2025/26. You will support us in office management, take responsibility for your own projects in the field of environmental education or lead workshops for children, young people and families.

In the "Research at Sea" marine competition, you can make your project a reality on a real research vessel. Teams of students from the ninth grade onwards can submit their applications until the end of March.

At the German Sailing Day in Warnemünde, the team from the German Ocean Foundation presented the major Citizen Science Project and the ENVIRONAUT environmental course for water sports enthusiasts, which can now be completed online.

In cooperation with the Planetarium in Berlin and the German Association for the United Nations, we organized the first parliamentary evening.

Since April 2024, our CEO Frank Schweikert has been a member of the European Commission's Mission Board Restore our Ocean and Waters. On September 24, Frank had the opportunity to speak at the 2nd public meeting of the Parliamentary Group on the European Perspective on Maritime Policy.

320 students and numerous supporters at the International Coastal Cleanup Day in Eckernförde cleared the beach of garbage.

We were delighted to welcome Professor Andreas Fath on board the ALDEBARAN after he had swum the Elbe from Dresden to Hamburg. Olympic champion Leonie Beck accompanied him on the last leg of his journey.

Together with AI.HAMBURG, SMM Hamburg and Fórum Oceano, we presented the AI for the Oceans Award to HUB Ocean.

The first team in the marine competition got off to a successful start. Emely and Lara from Cuxhaven researched diatoms and climate change.

Lessons on the sea about the sea! The school research project Watt'n MEER allowed pupils to experience the North Sea habitat up close. On board the research vessel ALDEBARAN, they learned from scientists and discovered the fascinating world of animals and plants in the North Sea.

Pupils from Cuxhaven and Wilhelmshaven explored the North Sea as part of the WATT'n Meer project. Daniel Schneider, marine policy spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group on marine policy in the German Bundestag, was there up close.

Cinema on the beach - with a fresh sea breeze, we have presented great projects over the past few days as part of the Sea Experience Days. There were also insights into the Marine Competition 2024 and its research topics.

The student team from the Tuttlingen Student Research Center investigated how much influence seagrasses have on water quality, what happens when seagrass meadows die off and whether artificially created seagrass meadows are necessary.

The five-day sailing expedition on the research vessel ALDEBARAN was the highlight of their research project so far. Equipped with a remote-controlled diving robot, an EXO probe and a pile scraper, they investigated 15 sites along the coast from Greifswald to Rostock.

Together with Statista, we have compiled an exciting report that provides a comprehensive overview and relevant data for understanding the largest ecosystem on our planet.

Ocean Literacy World Conference - The conference brings together ocean literacy and marine education communities from around the world to promote a harmonious relationship between people and the ocean.

What impact is climate change having on Lake Constance? We investigated this question on our research vessel ALDEBARAN with international researchers from the border triangle. High school students from Germany, Austria and Switzerland have spent the past few weeks studying mussels, plankton and microplastics in Lake Constance.