ITU/WMO/UNESCO-IOC
Joint Task Force on
Green Cables Funding Study
October 2014
Prepared by:
OCI Group, Inc.
9 Whippany Road
Whippany, NJ 07980
Study Requirements* - Introduction
• The availability of funding for such a wide-ranging objective is difficult
to navigate without some form of guidance and charting of the
sources, parties and processes.
• The JTF contracted a study to understand the sources of funding and
the routes to such funding for the development and deployment of an
initial ‘green cable’ system.
• Discussions at the Madrid Workshop it suggested that between $1M
& $6M will be required to develop the sensors themselves and for the
relevant system vendors to tailor their solutions to incorporate the
sensors and desired data transmission methodologies.
• Further, an additional fund of between $10M and $20M would be
expected to be required to include such sensors on a commercially
viable cable as an initial project.
*Tasking: Geneva, 31 March 2014 - Development of a Business Model Study for the
ITU/WMO/UNESCO IOC Joint Task Force on Green Cables Systems (JTF)
Potential Sources of Funding
• The OCI Group effort structured its investigation into potential
sources of funding in the following four distinct groups:
• International Development Agencies
 e.g. World Bank Group, Asian Development Bank
• Foundations
 e.g. Gates Foundation, Schmidt Ocean Institute
• Government Agencies
 e.g. US-Dept. of Commerce EDA , Japan Agency for Marine Earth
Science and Technology
• Private Companies
 e.g. those that might benefit from the data or participate in the
deployment (e.g. Google, NSW)
International Development Agencies
• All the major international development agencies were researched
for this study
• Most of these agencies focus on their specific geographic region
with the aim of reducing poverty, and
 For example, from the InterAmerican Development Bank website
 We support efforts by Latin America and the Caribbean countries to reduce poverty and
inequality. We aim to bring about development in a sustainable, climate-friendly way.
• Typically provide financing to their member countries
International Development Agencies
• The most promising of these organizations is the World Bank, which
is also a specialized agency of the UN (as are ITU, WMO and
UNESCO).
• Charter is broader than regional agencies, have funded
telecom projects
• Repeated attempts to reach key individuals within the World
Bank were unsuccessful, but recommend continued efforts
since most promising (grants possible).
• Similar to World Bank, European Investment Bank is also a possible
funding organization having a broader charter
• Specific contacts for follow-up in both agencies have been provided
in the report.
Foundations
• All of the world’s largest foundations and special cases were
researched as part of this effort. The magnitude of the funding
required would:
 only be possible from very large foundations,
 Will probably require support from several foundations since grant
amounts per grant, and grants in excess of $10M occur infrequently (only
16 since 2007 related to climate change and several of these went to
ClimateWorks Foundation – who in turn tend to give out even smaller
grants)
• Green Cable Initiative must align with each foundations funding
priorities,
 Nearly all foundations who fund climate change focus on policy advocacy
 Need to target foundations interested in technology development and
infrastructure implementation
Foundations (cont’d)
• Six major foundations were contacted, two respondents indicated
effort not consistent with their priorities.
• A list of the most promising foundations was developed for followup contact.
• UN Foundation should be engaged to assist with funding efforts for
UN Foundation Mission as stated:
 …links the UN’s work with others around the world, mobilizing
the energy and expertise of business and non-governmental
organizations to help the UN tackle issues including climate
change, children’s health, peace and security, and poverty
eradication.
Government Agencies
• The study identified 160 relevant government agencies in coastal
countries, and focused on those with substantial funding potential
• Examples:
– Department of the Environment/ Environmental Protection
Agencies
– Research Institutes (Ocean Science, Tsunami, Seismology)
– Department of Science and Technology
– Department for Economic Development
– Regional Organizations
Private Companies
• The Study considered funding from private companies.
• OCI identified companies of potential interest by reviewing
companies in attendance at OCEANS 2013 and OCEANOLOGY 2014
and other sources
 Out of approximately 300 companies, 29 were targeted for follow-up
(sensor developers, Google, AUV manufacture, etc.)
 Letters soliciting interest in the Green Cables Initiative were sent, but
• Based on this response, it is unlikely that direct funding will become
available from private companies
• It is anticipated however that other forms of support would be
possible from the private entities such as:
 Review of standards
 Engineering support
 Use of equipment
Summary
• The most likely candidates for funding are focused Development
Agencies, Foundations with environmental and science interests,
and Government Agencies addressing climate change and disaster
mitigation
• The most promising funders in each category have been identified
• Initiated contacts (direct calls and email) with agencies and
companies has lead to understanding of next steps on how to follow
up
Recommendations
• Successful solicitation will require contacting key decisionmakers/influencers. Collateral marketing materials are needed to
provide
 Detailed proposal with cost and benefit analysis
 Clear understanding as to recipient organization, structure and
governance
• The funding effort will require a concerted effort over a sustained
period of time
• Clear focus on most likely sources and utilizing contacts
Provocative Notion
• Today’s technology in subsea systems and offshore
environmental sensor system projects is quite matured
• What if:
• There was a project to be funded by World Bank or
Asian Development Bank
• Such a project might easily be an inter-island
project, South East Asia
• What if, as part of the RFP, an option was
introduced to include temperature or tsunami
sensor?
• While this does not establish “standards” for interfacing it
would provide proof of concept