March 4, 1999:JI-911
DOC/NOAA/OAR Formal Research Partnerships
Over the past thirty two years, the Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) through its NOAA Research Laboratories has developed research partnerships to form the Joint Institutes. Each of these Joint and Cooperative Institutes are formal, collaborative long-term research partnerships established under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)/Agreement (MOA) between NOAA through the Office of the Under Secretary of Oceans and Atmosphere and participating universities and non-profit research institutions with programs dedicated to oceanographic and/or atmospheric research, education and outreach. By design, most of the Institutes are geographically co-located with one or more NOAA facilities to promote scientific interchange and collaboration.
The primary purpose of each Institute is to create a mechanism to bring together the resources of a research-oriented university or institution, OAR and other branches of NOAA in order to develop and maintain a center of excellence in research relevant to understanding the Earth's oceans, the Great Lakes, inland waters, Arctic regions, solar terrestrial environment, intermountain west and the atmosphere. These partners provide a pooling of resources for studies to produce the best possible interdisciplinary scientific research and outreach. These exceptionally worthwhile undertakings are substantial, long enduring and represent a synergy that has brought together NOAA, premier academic and oceanographic institutions in a mutually beneficial arrangement to address issues of national and international significance unique to these partnerships.