Call for Expressions of Interest for Expeditions in Collaboration with Schmidt Ocean Institute Grant

The Schmidt Ocean Institute invites Expressions of Interest for collaborative research expeditions aboard R/V Falkor (too). Researchers can propose projects for any location and time, utilizing the vessel's extensive capabilities. SOI emphasizes open data sharing, community engagement, and innovative outreach. Projects should align with SOI's research priorities, including ocean health, biodiversity, and technology development. Support for project resources is available, ensuring a diverse and impactful scientific endeavor.

Background
Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI) is soliciting Expressions of Interest (EOI) for collaborative, multidisciplinary research at any time and for any location and year identified as an area of operation for R/V Falkor (too). EOIs and full proposals are accepted on a rolling basis and are reviewed twice per year. Investigators may request R/V Falkor (too)’s full berthing allotment for science in an EOI or may be partnered with additional projects at the full proposal stage to maximize the use of the vessel.
SOI provides investigators and teams with free access to the full range of the capabilities of R/V Falkor (too), its onboard scientific facilities, analytical tools, and lab equipment, as well as pertinent technical, operational, communications, and informational services. A requirement of this asset and support is the timely sharing of the data, research and development outcomes, and real-time sharing of expedition research.
SOI expects that investigators will provide the funds and associated resources to bring forth their research program and to meet the objectives of projects conducted aboard R/V Falkor (too). This includes salary, travel, shipping, and research analysis. Limited support is available for the provisioning of robotic platforms, sensors, instrumentation, high-performance shipboard computing, and open-source publication.
Research Priorities & Locations
Schmidt Ocean Institute’s (SOI) mission is to catalyze the discoveries needed to understand our Ocean, sustain life, and ensure the health of our planet through the pursuit of impactful scientific research and intelligent observation, technological advancement, open sharing of information, and public engagement at the highest levels of international excellence. SOI’s Strategic Framework describes seven topical areas for support aboard R/V Falkor (too):
Mapping the Seafloor: Including systematic mapping of uncharted regions, plate boundaries, deep sea floor environments and seamounts.Frontiers of Biodiversity: Including discovery and preservation of life, extreme environments, deep sea biodiversity, and microbiology.Stability of Ocean Health: Including research into poorly monitored marine gases and nutrient cycles, ocean carbon cycle, deoxygenation, and microplastics.Power of Nature: Including boundary layer dynamics, dynamical features, fine-scale physical processes, and vertical mixing.Exploring the Deep: Including full ocean depth exploration, trench and back-arc basins, volcanoes and hydrothermal vents, seamounts and deep-sea coral.Technologies for the Future: Including autonomous, remotely operated, coordinated robotics, biorobotics, biomimicry, brain-computer interface, smart, miniature, efficient technology, virtual and augmented reality, and intelligent use of data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.Human Effect: Including characterization of the high-seas and deep-ocean, research and mitigation of marine pollutants, scientific study of deep sea resources, and solutions for mitigation of extreme anthropogenic climate impacts.
SOI is committed to supporting the fundamental representation of the populations from the geographies in which R/V Falkor (too) operates and strongly encourages the teams assembled for EOIs to meaningfully engage these communities in research planning, execution, outreach, and data-sharing activities.
Maximizing Vessel Utilization
Submitted EOIs should request the berthing required to meet research project goals, up to 25 science party members, including students. In cases where projects do not fully utilize all of the available berths aboard R/V Falkor (too), those projects, in collaboration with the investigators, may be matched with other proposed projects to maximize the use of the vessel. Those matched projects will be invited to submit a combined full proposal leveraging their strengths and meeting the objectives of all participants.
Data Management
The open sharing of data is a pillar of SOI’s Mission. All data collected by the suite of systems aboard R/V Falkor (too) will be openly shared by SOI. We encourage investigators to consider how all types of data sets collected during the proposed research cruise will be processed post-cruise, managed, and shared with the public. At the full proposal stage, investigators will be required to document their open data-sharing policies, plans, and commitments regarding any additional data collected by systems they bring aboard R/V Falkor (too).
Expedition Outreach
SOI will provide communications support, including the collaborative development of an expedition outreach plan aligned with SOI’s goals and the science team’s objectives. Investigators are invited to propose innovative outreach opportunities that complement SOI’s communications support, such as:
Citizen science projects, especially those with a regional focus.Technology development for outreach (e.g. websites, 3-D modeling, image tagging, AR/VR).Related curriculum or lesson plan development.Collaborations with educators, education institutions, museums, and aquariums.Collaborations with artists, art installation projects, or related arts-based activities.Featured stories or articles in magazines, papers, television programs, or documentaries.Multidisciplinary outreach programs or projects.

Eligibility

We will consider applications from representatives of any countries, organizations, and individuals. The regional sailing map for R/V Falkor (too) is provided on our website and below and EOIs may be submitted for any location and year identified as an upcoming area of operation. The territorial seas or Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) for preferred research site locations must be identified in the EOI. After proposals have been accepted for ship-time, expeditions are contingent upon receiving diplomatic authorization from the respective nation to conduct Marine Scientific Research.