• Acronym: SG-ECOP
• Parent Committees: FUTURE
• Established: PICES-2020
• Duration: PICES-2020 - Jan. 2022 (final report completion)
• Chair: Dr. Erin Vera Satterthwaite <esatterthwaite@ucsd.edu>

For several years, PICES has provided support for the participation of early career ocean professionals (ECOPs) in workshops and symposia and has recognized excellence of presentations by ECOPs at its annual meetings. It has been suggested that the success of the PICES relies on the explicit inclusion of Early Career Ocean Professionals, so that they can develop the essential skills and relationships they will need to further develop and expand PICES science and its contributions to ensuring sustainable connections with our global ocean. Their involvement means: 1) the retention of valuable institutional knowledge, 2) a greater sense of shared ownership and buy-in of the initiatives affecting their generation, and 3) insurance that solutions are crafted with the innovation that comes with a diversity of perspectives. In addition, it has been suggested that ECOPs should help PICES play a leading role in the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (the Ocean Decade) by bringing fresh ideas, relevant contributions, and diverse perspectives to the next chapter of scientific discovery. Efforts are needed to explicitly define the role of ECOPs in PICES to ensure the lasting legacy of PICES. Therefore, the PICES ECOP Study Group (hereinafter, SG-ECOP) aims to utilize input from the PICES community, through workshops and surveys, to develop an engagement plan for ECOP in PICES and within the context of relevant partner organizations and international processes, such as the Ocean Decade.

The main objectives of the proposed SG-ECOP are to:

1. Consult the PICES community to better understand priorities, gaps, and opportunities for engagement within PICES.
2. Develop an engagement plan for ECOPs within PICES using consultations from the PICES community and by reviewing mechanisms used by other international or intergovernmental organizations, which may include a mission, vision, structure, alignment and synergies with expert groups.
3. Identify and cultivate the development of a diverse and representative ECOP community within PICES to ensure community participation and feedback.
4. Identify opportunities for PICES mentorship and knowledge sharing between experienced PICES members, ECOPs, and emerging ECOPs (e.g. youth).
5. Develop Terms of Reference for a PICES expert group to implement SG recommendations on ECOP engagement and retention.