NOAA Ocean Exploration and Research Program

NOAA Ocean Exploration and Research Program is sponsored by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Supports research and exploration of the ocean to advance understanding of ocean ecosystems and biodiversity.

NOAA Ocean Exploration Announces FY25 Funding Opportunity - NOAA Ocean Exploration LIVE VIDEO : The 2026 Cook Islands ROV Exploration is underway. Watch live dives to explore deep-sea habitats of the Cook Islands. NOAA Ocean Exploration Announces FY25 Funding Opportunity On April 2, 2024, NOAA Ocean Exploration announced the Ocean Exploration Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) Funding Opportunity on Grants.

gov to fund interdisciplinary and innovative ocean exploration-related projects. An estimated $3 million will be awarded under the themes of Ocean Exploration and Maritime Heritage. For FY25, these themes are defined as follows: Ocean Exploration proposals should support exploration of unknown or poorly known ocean areas, processes, or resources in waters deeper than 200 meters or in tropical mesophotic environments.

Projects can entail conducting ocean exploration (e.g., mapping and characterizing ocean habitats, combining seismic and acoustic methods), advancing ocean exploration through the use or development of novel technologies (e.g., autonomous systems, nondestructive sensors, artificial intelligence/machine learning), and/or analysis of ocean exploration datasets or samples that already exist and are publicly accessible.

NOAA Ocean Exploration is particularly interested in projects that explore the physical, chemical, and biological environments and processes in the deep oceanic water column and projects that will improve genetic libraries for species-level environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis of deep-sea species.

All proposals must demonstrate how the proposed project relates to at least one of the exploration variables identified by NOAA Ocean Exploration . Maritime Heritage proposals should address the exploration for significant maritime heritage resources that improve our understanding of the past and inform decisions about management and preservation. Maritime heritage projects can be conducted at any water depth.

NOAA Ocean Exploration is particularly interested in proposals that target conflict archaeology, incorporate Indigenous knowledge, or perform wide-area searches in areas poorly mapped for maritime heritage. NOAA Ocean Exploration welcomes the use of innovative technology and/or methods for quantitative assessment of targets to improve archaeological site identification and documentation.

A high-temperature hydrothermal vent field discovered on Puy des Folles Seamount on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, at approximately 2,000 meters (6,562 feet) in depth, during the In Search of Hydrothermal Lost Cities expedition, which received funding from the Ocean Exploration Fiscal Year 2020 Funding Opportunity. Image courtesy of Schmidt Ocean Institute. .

Download largest version (jpg, 424 KB). Divers collecting eDNA biofilm from the wreck of a U.S. PBY Coronado seaplane wreck off Saipan during the Exploring Deepwater World War II Battlefields in the Pacific Using Emerging Technologies project, which was funded by the Ocean Exploration Fiscal Year 2022 Funding Opportunity. Image courtesy of Ships of Discovery.

Download largest version (12. 1 MB). The ocean remains largely unexplored.

To help us as a society better understand what lives and lies within it and how it supports and affects life on Earth, NOAA Ocean Exploration works closely with other organizations to explore the ocean, advance ocean exploration tools and capabilities, and maximize data collection and use. One of the tools we use to further these efforts is our annual competitive grant program.

Through this program we’re able to support a variety of organizations with a wide range of experience, expertise, and creativity to fill gaps in the basic environmental intelligence needed to protect ocean health, sustainably manage our marine resources, accelerate our national economy, better understand our changing environment, and enhance appreciation of the importance of the ocean in our everyday lives.

A sponge ( Verongula sp.) known to be rich in natural products collected during an expedition in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, which was funded by the Ocean Exploration Fiscal Year 2019 Funding Opportunity. Image courtesy of Exploring the Blue Economy Biotechnology Potential of Deepwater Habitats.

Download largest version (7. 31 MB). Pre-proposals (required): May 30, 2024 Full proposals: October 3, 2024 Ocean Exploration Federal Funding Opportunity: Past Recipients