About NOPP

The National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP) is a collaboration of federal agencies to provide leadership and coordination of national oceanographic research and education initiatives.

(Photo credit: JJ Meyer)

For more detailed information, please review our NOPP Brochure and our Latest NOPP Achievements. NOPP facilitates interactions among federal agencies, academia and industry; increases visibility for ocean issues on the national agenda; and achieves a higher level of coordinated effort across the broad oceanographic community.

Through NOPP, the public and private sectors are brought together to support larger, more comprehensive projects, to promote sharing of resources, and to foster community-wide innovative advances in ocean science, technology, and education. On average, 11 new projects are started each year. Since 1997, NOPP has invested more than $294M to support 151 research and education projects involving more than 200 public and private institutions. A comparable amount of in-kind support has been committed by the research and education community.

Interagency committees and working groups provide guidance and oversight to NOPP activities and funding opportunities. The Interagency Working Group on Ocean Partnerships is the operational feedback body charged with organizing, directing, and conducting most NOPP activities; it functions under the National Ocean Council, a Principal and Deputies level committee tasked with implementing the National Ocean Policy.  The Ocean Research Advisory Panel provides advice and scientific guidance to NOPP and the National Ocean Council.