The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded a $4,684,000 grant to the University of Mississippi to support undersea research through its National Institute for Undersea Science and Technology. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The grant will continue funding to NIUST to develop biotechnologies from the sea and engineered technologies for exploring the sea’s harsh and extreme environments. The program’s long-term goals are to establish a national repository of marine samples for use by the biotechnology research sector and on the research and development of remote sensor and direct sampling technologies for the investigation of the deep sea. This includes the development of viable technologies for the operation and deployment of Remotely Operated and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles for NOAA’s Undersea Research Centers.

“This continued funding to the University of Mississippi will be used to explore the diverse and unique opportunities the ocean’s organisms offer as a source of products that benefit humanity,” said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “NOAA and the Bush Administration are working to improve the understanding of our environment and partnering with members of the academic community to achieve our common goals.”

Each year, NOAA awards approximately $900 million in grants to members of the academic, scientific and business communities to assist the agency in fulfilling its mission to study the Earth’s natural systems in order to predict environmental change, manage ocean resources, protect life and property, and provide decision makers with reliable scientific information. NOAA’s goals and programs reflect a commitment to these basic responsibilities of science and service to the nation for the past 34 years.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources. To learn more about NOAA, please visit: http://www.noaa.gov.