Scientific Ocean Drilling Coordination Office (SODCO) for the Division of Ocean Sciences
Agency: National Science Foundation
Posted: 2024-05-01 | Closing date: 2024-07-30
Estimated total program funding: 40000000
Award floor: 40000000
Cost sharing or matching requirement: No

The Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) requests proposals from eligible U.S. institutionsto provide aScientific Ocean Drilling Coordination Office(SODCO). This Coordinating Office will work with Principal Investigators (PIs) in the selection of suitable, academically or commercially available drilling and coring platforms to collect subseafloor samples, make subseafloor measurements, and install long-term borehole observatories. It is anticipated that SODCO will be supported by the NSF Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) through a Cooperative Agreement of up to five years duration with the possibility of renewal for up to an additional five years. SODCO may work with the commercial drilling community or other drilling organizations from the United States or abroad to determine the type and availability of drilling platforms and services that may be available for NSF-funded scientific projects that require ocean drilling. SODCO will have the expertise to generate requests for bids to provide the drilling services as needed. SODCO is expected to play a proactive role in the ocean science community to encourage innovation in drilling technologies and methods in response to scientific community needs and will help guide the development of new drilling designs as requested by the ocean science community. SODCO will coordinate and manage drilling activities for the U.S. ocean science community. Requirements for drilling activities will be derived both from long-range science plans developed by the ocean science community as well as research proposals funded by NSF. We encourage collaborations with international partners and with scientists funded by other sources. SODCO will be capable of assisting in the planning and execution of all aspects of the drilling activities. Interested parties must respond to this solicitation with a proposal to provide for these services under a single award. SODCO award will be administered as a Cooperative Agreement with an anticipated duration of up to five-years. A mid-term management review will be required, which will guide a decision to re-compete or renew the Cooperative Agreement for up to a further five-year period. SODCO’s role is expected to be coordination and management of activities for proponents seeking to develop a deep-sea drilling program; financial support for a specific drilling expedition, including lease of a specific platform will be through another award instrument. It is expected that provision of expedition-specific platforms will therefore be accomplishedearly in the science proposal development process in collaboration with individual proponents that intend to establish a drilling-based research program.

Eligibility: *Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following:   -Non-profit, non-academic organizations: Independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies and similar organizations located in the U.S. that are directly associated with educational or research activities.   -Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) - Two- and four-year IHEs (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting      on behalf of their faculty members.Special Instructions for International Branch Campuses of US IHEs: If the proposal includes funding to be provided to an      international branch campus of a US institution of higher education (including through use of subawards and consultant arrangements), the proposer must explain      the benefit(s) to the project of performance at the international branch campus, and justify why the project activities cannot be performed at the US campus.   -Tribal Nations: An American Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, or community that the Secretary of the Interior acknowledges as a federally recognized tribe pursuant to the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994, 25 U.S.C. §§ 5130-5131.