NOAA Ocean Exploration invites the science and management communities to identify priority areas for mapping and remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) operations for Okeanos Explorer as it makes its way along the U.S. West Coast and Alaska. This survey tool will allow you to submit mapping requests and dive targets for use in the design of Okeanos Explorer operations along the U.S. West Coast and Alaska in 2022/2023. Okeanos Explorer is expected to be operating in the region from October 2022 through 2023. Operations will focus on unmapped and/or unexplored deepwater (>200 m) areas, and the priorities received through this survey will help define expedition plans as well as specific targets. Due dates for exploration recommendations: U.S. West Coast priority area July 1, 2022 and Alaska priority area August 1, 2022.

NOAA Ocean Exploration announced the Fiscal Year 2023 Funding Opportunity for proposals for interdisciplinary ocean exploration in waters under U.S. jurisdiction that support national priorities in three thematic areas: ocean exploration and discovery, maritime heritage and technology. The deadline for the pre-proposals, which are required, is May 24, 2022. Full proposals are due by September 29, 2022.

The NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER), also known as NOAA Ocean Exploration, is soliciting proposals to conduct or support ocean exploration resulting in outcomes that provide or enable initial assessments about unknown or poorly understood regions of U.S. waters. Proposals should support the ocean exploration topical priorities or spatial priorities in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) identified in the “Report on the Workshop to Identify National Ocean Exploration Priorities in the Pacific”. Proposals should also support the National Strategy for Mapping, Exploring, and Characterizing the United States Exclusive Economic Zone. Proposals for the ocean exploration and marine archaeology themes must be for projects in unknown or poorly understood areas as referenced in the national strategy’s implementation plan and within the U.S. EEZ in the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific priorities workshop report stresses the active awareness of the cultural context in which ocean exploration is often conducted. Recognizing the unique and numerous Pacific communities as partners and stakeholders enhances the overall impact of the ocean exploration enterprise through wider public support, a more diverse workforce and community of practitioners, and incorporation of traditional knowledge systems throughout the process. Applicants should consider including the interests of tribal nations and Indigenous peoples within targeted exploration areas and engaging these communities in a meaningful way. OER is soliciting proposals focused on any one of the following three themes: ocean exploration, marine archaeology, and technology. Register for a webinar about the funding opportunity on May 26, 2021, at 1 p.m. EDT. Required pre-proposals are due June 21, 2021.

From May 14-27, 2021, NOAA Ocean Exploration will lead the 2021 Technology Demonstration on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer from Cape Canaveral, Florida, to Norfolk, Virginia. The expedition provides an opportunity to test several technologies that will allow the ocean exploration community to explore deeper, farther, and more comprehensively than previously possible. Expeditions like this are vital for the advancement of ocean exploration technologies that will benefit partners and the broader field of ocean exploration alike in our collective mission to explore, map, and understand the vast ocean realm. During the 2021 Technology Demonstration, 24-hour-a-day operations will focus on field engineering trials of WHOI’s new Orpheus class of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), piloting NOAA Ocean Exploration’s environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling protocols, regular CTD rosette casts, and acoustic mapping of the seafloor and water column with the new EM 304 multibeam and deepwater sonar suite. Watch the live stream May 14-27, 2021.

The NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER) is soliciting ocean exploration proposals to support projects that provide data and information that may inform ocean-related segments of the U.S. economy through mapping, characterization, and exploration of the deep seafloor and water column of the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as well as marine cultural heritage in U.S. waters. Proposals are being requested on the following three topics: 1. OCEAN EXPLORATION. Ocean exploration to inform management, sustainable use, and conservation of marine resources in poorly explored deep ocean areas of the U.S. EEZ. Areas proposed for exploration and/or initial characterization must be at a minimum water depth of 200 m or more. 2. MARINE ARCHAEOLOGY. Discovery and characterization of underwater cultural heritage to inform decisions on preservation and seabed use, and to identify sources of potential environmental impacts. Marine archaeology proposals can be conducted in any water depth within the U.S. EEZ. 3. TECHNOLOGY. Application of new or novel use of existing ocean technologies or innovative methods that increase the scope and efficiency of acquiring ocean exploration data and improve usability of and access to ocean exploration data. Proposed technologies must be applicable to water depths of 200 m or greater, though testing in shallower water or lab-based test facilities will be supported. Technology testing may occur outside of U.S. waters. The deadline for the pre-proposal submission is July 8, 2020. The full proposal will be due on October 22, 2020.

In November 2019, the President issued a Memorandum related to ocean mapping activities. The original memo is available here. Subsequently, two notices were published in the Federal Register requesting information from the public relating to Section 2, National Strategy for Mapping, Exploring and Characterizing the U.S. EEZ, and Section 4, Efficient Permitting of Mapping Exploring and Characterization. The Ocean Policy Committee is soliciting public input through these RFIs to obtain information from a wide range of stakeholders, including academia, private industry, and other relevant organizations and institutions, in order to inform the Ocean Policy Committee as it prepares to identify these opportunities and develop recommended actions. Comments are required prior to March 12, 2020.

The NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER) is soliciting ocean exploration proposals to address knowledge gaps and support growth in the Nation’s Blue Economy and/or to contribute to Seabed 2030 goals. Proposals are being requested on the following three topics: 1. OCEAN EXPLORATION. Ocean exploration to inform management, sustainable use, and conservation of marine resources in poorly explored deep ocean areas of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone. Areas proposed for exploration and/or initial characterization must be at a minimum depth of 200 meters. 2. MARINE ARCHAEOLOGY. Discovery and characterization of underwater cultural heritage representing past marine-based economic activities or early human occupation to inform decisions on preservation and seabed use, and to identify sources of potential environmental impacts. Marine archaeology proposals can be conducted in any water depth. 3. TECHNOLOGY. Application of new or novel use of existing ocean technologies or innovative methods that increase the scope and efficiency of acquiring ocean exploration data and improve usability of and access to ocean exploration data. Proposed technologies must be applicable to water depths of 200 meters or greater, though testing in shallower water or lab-based test facilities will be supported. The deadline for the pre-proposal submission is May 24, 2019.

NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration & Research (OER) is soliciting proposals for ocean exploration in waters under U.S. jurisdiction, including the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and areas mapped by, or of interest to, the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) Project. Presently, important marine habitats and living and non-living resources are neither fully explored nor characterized. OER’s intent is to address these knowledge gaps and support growth in the Nation’s Blue Economy by soliciting ocean exploration proposals that focus on: 1. Discovering microorganisms, sponges, corals, and other organisms with biopharmaceutical or biotechnical potential; 2. Acquiring baseline ocean environmental information to better inform decision-making where future ocean energy development or critical mineral extraction may occur; 3. Finding and characterizing shipwrecks and submerged cultural resources that played a role in America’s past ocean-based economy (e.g., transport, trade, warfare, etc.) and could inform decisions on future seabed activities and potential environmental impacts. The deadline for the pre-proposal submission is July 26, 2018.

The NOAA Graduate Research and Training Scholarship Program (GRTSP) leverages the initial investment made by the agency in the NOAA EPP/MSI Cooperative Science Centers (CSC). GRTSP helps establish a pipeline of well trained and educated individuals who attend Minority Serving Institutions and earn degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines that support NOAA’s mission. Scholars are offered the following for one year based on the degree being pursued. For PhD. Degree candidates: $45,000 stipend to support tuition and fees and other costs associated with opportunities for professional development; $10,000 (maximum) travel cost to support research travel and to present findings at conferences; and, Funding for a second year of training if a renewal application is successful and approved by NOAA EPP/MSI. For Masters Degree candidates: $36,000 to support tuition and fees as well as other costs associated with opportunities for professional development; and, $7,000 (maximum) travel cost to support research travel and to present findings at conferences. Applications may be obtained from the NOAA Cooperative Science Center Director and are submitted through the CSC Director directly to NOAA EPP/MSI.

Providing scholarships & internships to outstanding students studying at Minority Serving Institutions.The EPP/MSI Undergraduate Scholarship Program provides scholarships for two years of undergraduate study to rising junior undergraduate students at Minority Serving Institutions majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields that directly support NOAA’s mission. Participants conduct research at a NOAA facility during two paid summer internships. Since 2001, over 186 students have completed the program and over 75% go on to graduate school. Students attending Minority Serving Institutions as defined by the US Department of Education (Hispanic Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Alaskan-Native Serving Institutions, and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions) are eligible to apply for the program. Application deadline: January 31, 2018.