URI Partners With NOAA For Ocean Exploration Institute

KINGSTON, RI — The University of Rhode Island announced Monday that the Graduate School of Oceanography is partnering with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The $92 million consortium will focus on ocean exploration, study of the deep sea, resource management and improving the country's Blue Economy. The Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute, led by URI, will include five internationally recognized ocean science institutions.

"Being selected to lead NOAA’s Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute is not only an exciting announcement for the University of Rhode Island, but also central to our research mission as a land-and-sea grant university," said URI President David M. Dooley. "We look forward to working with our partners to explore our nation’s vast ocean resources in order to increase understanding and ensure their responsible and sustainable use."

Over the next five years, the consortium cooperative institute will work with NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, with the goal of studying 3 billion acres of the country's oceans. Dr. Robert Ballard, is the lead principal investigator of the institute, president of the Ocean Trust, director of the Center for Ocean Exploration at the Graduate School for Oceanography and is best known for his discovery of the Titanic.

"There is another half of America, beneath the ocean’s surface, that we know very little about," Ballard said. "U.S. territorial waters cover more ocean than that of almost any other country on Earth. Imagine we’re about to lead the next Lewis and Clark expedition, only six times over. When we’re done, we’ll know what we have."

The institute is comprised of URI, the Ocean Exploration Trust, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the University of New Hampshire and the University of Southern Mississippi.

"I’m proud that our own University of Rhode Island has been selected to lead this pioneering initiative to advance human knowledge of the oceans. We’re fortunate to have Dr. Ballard and his outstanding team at URI to direct this undertaking," said U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. "I have worked for years to secure significant investment in NOAA’s Cooperative Institute program, and I’m glad those efforts have led to this landmark investment in Rhode Island’s Blue Economy."

More information on the cooperative institute is available on the university's website.