National Oceanography Centre wins nearly $54M funding for marine and climate research

The UK’s National Oceanography Centre (NOC) has secured £41.4 million (around $53.7) from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), as part of a total of £101 million investment.

According to the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), funding has been awarded to the center to deliver the Atlantic Climate and Environment Strategic Science (AtlantiS) program, which is set to bolster marine research and innovation by combining ocean observations from a range of platforms and sensors, next-generation models, and digital tools.

NOC’s research aims to support healthy, biologically diverse, and resilient marine ecosystems, contribute to a sustainable blue economy, and safeguard communities from environmental hazards.

AtlantiS builds on the success of the previous CLASS program, enhancing long-term ocean observation systems and expanding the ocean value chain. The program’s primary objectives include transforming the ocean from data-poor to data-rich, improving global climate change indicators, and boosting public and governmental understanding of the ocean’s critical role in climate dynamics, UKRI noted.

“This major investment by NERC will build on the UK’s extensive environmental science capabilities, helping us better understand how our planet is changing at local and global scales and enhance resource and environmental management,” said Iain Williams, Director of Strategic Partnerships at NERC.

“Through this investment, NERC is supporting scientists and policymakers in responding to major global challenges in pollution, warming seas, biodiversity loss, and climate change, and our research will help us to live sustainably.”

The £41.4 million awarded to NOC, part of a larger £101 million investment from NERC’s National Capability Single Centre Science and National Public Good initiatives, supports research on atmospheric, polar, freshwater, and terrestrial environments.

This wider funding will advance environmental observation, data science, and analysis across the UK, driving innovations crucial for climate resilience, natural resource management, and national security.

The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), based in Orkney, was granted independent research organization (IRO) status by UKRI, enabling it to compete for research grants from NERC and other UK research councils. With this status, EMEC can now access significant funding opportunities to advance its marine energy research, particularly through NERC, which plays a pivotal role in supporting environmental science and innovation in the UK.