We are pleased to inform you that the International Association for the Physical Sciences of the Oceans (IAPSO) is inviting applications for Best Practice Study Groups in the period 2024-2025. Each group will receive up to US$ 12,000 towards the costs of a meeting. Proposals should reach the IAPSO Secretary General via email by 15 November 2023. The proposers of Best Practice Study Group proposals will be notified by 31 December 2023 of the success or otherwise of their proposals.

Purpose of an IAPSO Best Practice Study Group
An IAPSO Best Practice Study Group will address an issue whose resolution will assist in the conduct of oceanographic research. In carrying out oceanographic research, a choice must frequently be made between a few options for measuring data, analysing data, processing software, or modelling a system. The reasons for choosing between competing methods are often not well documented and the relative strengths and weaknesses of these routes are usually not published or well known.

Where it is thought beneficial to bring together experts in competing methods to make detailed comparison then IAPSO may be willing to fund such a face-to-face meeting. There should be a definite prospect that such detailed comparison and discussions will result in an agreed position statement or guideline that outlines the relative strengths of the methods, procedures or software. These will help oceanographic researchers to make the best choices to, for example, analyse their data.

IAPSO is seeking to support two IAPSO Best Practice Study Groups in the 2024-2025 period. Each IAPSO Best Practice Study Group should arrange a meeting of several days' duration where consensus should be sought regarding the pros and cons of different techniques. Ideally, this consensus will result in a short technical guideline that will assist oceanographic researchers in making the best choices to, for example, analyse their data.

IAPSO recommends the successful groups make use of the repository of the IOC Ocean Best Practices System (www.oceanbestpractices.org) to survey existing documentation and experts related to the BP topic. It is expected that the final documentation created by the group will be made accessible via the IOC Ocean Best Practices System and undergo the GOOS endorsement process.

How to Apply
A brief application of a few pages, which describes how the above criteria will be addressed by the study group, should be submitted. The application should include a list of potential attendees, as well as a budget indicating how the funding from IAPSO will enable the meeting to occur. Please send applications by email to Silvia Blanc, the Secretary General of IAPSO at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  by 15 November 2023.

For more information, please read the original announcement.