Global Coral Tech Transfer Project
The Global Coral Tech Transfer Project is a worldwide effort led by SECORE International, in partnership with AIMS and FUNDEMAR, to implement large-scale coral breeding techniques and translate technologies to boost reef resilience.
Scope: Partnership of SECORE International and the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), two leading organizations in the field, to combine knowledge, expertise and technological developments and create an adaptable restoration toolbox, for practitioners worldwide.
Lead: SECORE International
Launch: August 2025
Impact: Global
Core Partners: Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), Fundación Dominicana de Estudios Marinos (FUNDEMAR)
Funding by: Builders Vision, the Great Barrier Reef Foundation & Vere Initiatives
"Through this project, we are bringing together the largest Coral Seeding programs from the Pacific and the Caribbean: AIMS through the Pilot Deployment Project on the Great Barrier Reef and FUNDEMAR in the Dominican Republic. Combined with SECORE’s expertise in technology translation, applied ecological research and capacity building, we have assembled an all-star team that we believe will have a tremendous impact on the sustainable implementation of coral reef restoration. It feels a bit like assembling the Avengers of Coral Seeding to tackle the coral crisis; it is collaborations like these that give me hope and optimism that are so direly needed at the current moment.”
Aric Bickel, Senior Director of Training & Implementation
Achievements
Since kick-off, the joint team has taken individual components of the large-scale, high-tech tools developed by AIMS and integrated them into the Coral Seeding workflow at two Caribbean locations to explore how efficiency can be improved; early results are incredibly promising.
The SECORE Curaçao team is testing the use of antifouling coatings and larval settlement cues in a Caribbean setting, which our collaborators at AIMS have found to decrease competition, increase the survival of coral settlers and improve settlement success.
To advance restoration research, the project team is developing a streamlined strategy thus complementing each other’s expertise and making faster progress. Collaborations across the globe are needed to address the coral crisis—not only in the Caribbean, but to prepare other regions for worsening conditions.
Expertise & Experience
The project combines SECORE’s expertise in capacity building and advancing low-tech, field-based coral restoration approaches with AIMS' scalable high-tech, facility-based technologies and FUNDEMAR's expertise and capacity for local testing and application. The goal of our joint team is to adapt the technologies developed specifically for the Great Barrier Reef to other contexts and create a Coral Seeding toolbox, driving the implementation of sustainable restoration on larger scales across other, impacted regions.
“AIMS and SECORE have been long-time collaborators in the field of Coral Seeding. Our methods are complementary, and working together through this project will allow us to jointly build a toolbox of Coral Seeding methods and galvanize around a best-practice approach that takes into account local priorities and needs. Leveraging our joint experiences, knowledge and expertise will also help us fast-track the research required to continue developing science-backed solutions for large-scale coral restoration.”
Carly Randall, AIMS, Project Lead Scientist
AIMS's Two-Part Seeding Device
© Paul Selvaggio