NOAA's Undersea Research Program is a comprehensive underwater research program that supports NOAA's mission by providing scientists with the support, tools, and expertise necessary to conduct undersea research of regional, national, and global importance. Of special interest to NURP is research focused on NOAA's management responsibilities in corals, fisheries, and other seafloor ecosystems. NURP is also involved in advancing marine biotechnology through its National Institute for Undersea Science and Technology's (NIUST) National Repository of marine natural products. This repository represents the first intensive survey/sampling of U.S. coral reef organisms that are screened in-house for biomedical and agrochemical potential; and are available to qualified researchers for further biotechnology studies. For more on NURP strategic research themes, follow the links from the image below.

NURP is actively involved in advancing underwater technologies to facilitate research and allow scientists to discover new realms of the ocean world. NURP consists of six regional Centers and one Institute (NIUST) that maintain the responsibility of soliciting and supporting undersea research and technology development proposals. The NURP Centers specialize in providing scientists funding, access, and operational support to sophisticated underwater technologies, including human occupied submersibles, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), and technical and mixed gas diving. The quality of NURP-supported research is ensured through a competitive process with high standards of peer-review patterned after the National Science Foundation. Click here for more on spotlight research.