Oceanographic Facilities and Equipment Support
Oceanographic Facilities and Equipment Support for ocean research programs, providing funding for platforms and instruments used in shared research and education endeavors.
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation
Due Dates: February 28, 2023 | January 10, 2024 | January 10, 2027 | January 11, 2027
Funding Amounts: Up to $47,500,000 total program funding per year; typical awards range from $5,000 to $47,500,000, with 25–50 awards expected annually.
Summary: Supports procurement, upgrade, enhancement, and operation of oceanographic facilities and equipment for shared use in federally funded research and education.
Description
This program supports the procurement, conversion, upgrade, enhancement, and annual operation of oceanographic platforms and equipment in the ocean, coastal, near-shore waters, and Great Lakes. The awards are managed by the Integrative Programs Section (IPS) of the Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE) within NSF's Directorate for Geosciences. The primary goal is to ensure the availability of appropriate oceanographic facilities and shared-use equipment for federally funded investigators and educators. Funding is directed toward facilities and instrumentation that serve multiple research projects and users, not individual or single-project needs.
The solicitation covers three main program tracks:
- Oceanographic Technical Services (Tech Services): Institutional technical support for research vessels and shore-based, shared-use facilities.
- Oceanographic Instrumentation (OI): Acquisition or upgrade of shared-use scientific instrumentation.
- Shipboard Scientific Support Equipment (SSSE): Purchase or overhaul of equipment to enhance research vessel capabilities and safety.
