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.
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