Expressions of Interest are requested from eligible U.S. institutions to provide a multi-decadal drilling vessel, possibly through the National Science Foundation (NSF) Major Multi-User Research Facilities process as described in the NSF Major Facilities Guide, to support the science needs and enable new science discovery as defined in the recently completed Exploring Earth by Scientific Ocean Drilling 2050 Science Framework. The 2050 Science Framework is based on workshop-derived input from the American scientific community and international workshops held in Europe, Japan, China, Australia, South Korea, and India. All totaled, over 800 participants defined the need for a multi-decade program with a globally ranging scientific drillship to address critical global geoscience problems in the oceans and explore areas of the Earth otherwise inaccessible for sampling or observation. NSF seeks innovative solutions to future scientific ocean drilling and is ready to consider a wide array of possible strategies, including new build, provision of major vessel systems (such as a drilling system) installed on a new hull, or modification to an existing vessel. Expressions of Interest should be provided by May 1, 2021.

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