Program Overview

Establishment

(Click to enlarge) Photo credit: Hilary Goodwin

NOPP was established by the U.S. Congress (Public Law 105-85) in Fiscal Year 1998 for two general purposes:

1. To promote the national goals of assuring national security, advancing
   economic development, protecting quality of life, and strengthening science
   education and communication through improved knowledge of the ocean; and
2. To coordinate and strengthen oceanographic efforts in support of those goals
   by:
   a) identifying and carrying out partnerships among federal agencies, academia,
   industry, and other members of the oceanographic scientific community in the
   areas of data, resources, education, and communication, and
   b) reporting annually to Congress on the Program.

NOPP Research

NOPP research encompasses numerous areas, including oceanographic research and exploration, technology development, resource management, and ocean education; these focus areas have led to community advances in oceanography and impacts on society. NOPP has supported diverse topics, such as: Sensors for Marine Ecosystems, Assessing Meridional Overturning Circulation Variability – Implications for Rapid Climate Change, Improving Cyclone Intensity Forecasting, Exploration and Research of Deepwater Coral Communities, the Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment, and Understanding and Predicting Changes in the Ocean Workforce. NOPP focuses on ocean-related objectives which are too large for single agencies to undertake, but satisfy multiple agency missions and would benefit from partnerships between government, private industry and academia.

NOPP Proposal Solicitation

Using a peer-review process, NOPP identifies and funds the most scientifically and technically meritorious research that clearly demonstrates public/private sector partnerships in the areas of interest each year. For information on how NOPP funding announcements are created and FAQ’s about the NOPP review process, please review this new document the NOPP office has produced to outline the NOPP announcement and review process: http://www.nopp.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/NOPP-Funding-Best-Practices_FINAL1.pdf.

Descriptions of NOPP-funded projects can be found under Funded Projects and Investment Areas.

The results of recent years’ proposal solicitations can be summarized as follows:

Public Education

In an era of declining science literacy, the ocean readily provides an exciting vehicle to stimulate learning and promote math and science education. NOPP strongly encourages projects with an explicit component that addresses public education as well as serving scientific research. To highlight the importance of education, NOPP supports five innovative education projects involving, directly or indirectly, thousands of students and educators. This suite of projects is creating a foundation for a national marine education infrastructure.

NOPP is also a sponsor of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB), a national academic competition for high school students on topics related to the study of the oceans. Conducted by the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, the competition is intended to increase knowledge of the oceans on the part of high school students, their teachers, and communities. An additional, and equally important, goal is to raise the visibility and public understanding of the national investment in ocean-related research. In May, 2000 NOPP entered into a partnership with the Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education (now Ocean Leadership) to sponsor future NOSB events under the auspices of NOPP. Additional information on the NOSB can be found at http://www.nosb.org.