The HX Foundation, the charitable branch of HX Expeditions, has awarded over €222,754 in its first round of 2025 grant funding to support global community, conservation, and wildlife-focused initiatives, with a particular emphasis on ocean and polar regions.
From the total amount, €63,154 has been distributed among seven single-year projects selected from more than 20 submissions. These initiatives were chosen for their strong alignment with the Foundation’s mission to support science, conservation, and community well-being in regions where HX operates.
The funded projects cover a range of disciplines including underwater wildlife monitoring, sustainable trail maintenance, science communication, and wildlife rehabilitation. The selected recipients are Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (Argentina), Helmholtz Innovation Platform SOOP (Germany), SEA LIFE TRUST Beluga Whale Sanctuary (Iceland), Sitka Trail Works (USA), National University of Córdoba (Argentina), Arctic Storm AS / Maria Philippa Rossi (Norway), and Oxford Brookes University – Penguin Watch (UK).
Each of these projects addresses specific environmental and community-focused goals. For example, Argentina’s Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata will examine the acoustic behavior of endangered Franciscana dolphins in response to gillnet mitigation. The Helmholtz Innovation Platform SOOP will continue scientific outreach on HX vessels. SEA LIFE TRUST in Iceland will establish an avian flu sterile testing area to treat affected seabirds. Sitka Trail Works will support trail maintenance in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest. The National University of Córdoba will implement an underwater monitoring program in the West Antarctic Peninsula. In Norway, a science communication initiative titled “Arctic Mysteries” will aim to engage families and children. Oxford Brookes University will address penguin data gaps in the Falklands/Malvinas and South Georgia.
In addition to the newly funded projects, the HX Foundation has committed over €107,500 for 2025 and more than €52,500 for 2026 to ongoing multi-year initiatives. These include long-term collaborations with key partners such as The Association of Greenlandic Children, the University of California’s climate impact studies on Humpback whales in Antarctica, the Norwegian Rescue Dogs Svalbard (NRS), and the RSPB’s bird conservation efforts in Orkney, Scotland.
The Helmholtz Innovation Platform SOOP emphasized the significance of their partnership with the HX Foundation in collecting microplastic and atmospheric data from remote regions. Similarly, SEA LIFE TRUST highlighted the importance of the funding for upgrading their facilities in Iceland to provide safe care for puffins and other seabirds. In the United States, Sitka Trail Works expressed appreciation for support in maintaining trail infrastructure, contributing to local employment and environmental stewardship.
These initiatives collectively reflect the Foundation’s mission to create a positive environmental and community impact through strategic support of science, conservation, and education projects in polar and oceanic regions.
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