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UK IODP

Ocean Drilling Review

Deadline for submission of evidence: 10 August 2010

Background

An independent Review Group will be convened later this year to provide the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) with an assessment of the benefits of ocean drilling to UK science. This review will examine all of the available evidence to assess the benefits of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Programme (IODP) and to advise NERC of ocean drilling's potential to deliver strategic science in the future.

The outputs of this review will form part of the evidence that will be used to inform NERC Council's future funding decision on the membership subscription to the ocean drilling programme that will follow IODP in 2013, and also any UK support research programme funding.

NERC has a long history of supporting ocean drilling - currently via the IODP and its forerunners, the Ocean Drilling Programme (1983-2003, 111 expeditions) and the Deep Sea Drilling Programme (1968-1983, 96 expeditions).

NERC currently commits $5·6m per year to its membership subscription to IODP and this provides UK scientists with access to the three IODP platforms (RV JOIDES Resolution, RV CHIKYU and Mission Specific Platforms) and supports a number of integrative activities (including core repositories).

In addition, the science funding for UK ocean drilling related research comes from NERC's UK-IODP research programme (amounting to £7m over the five years from 2008-2013) and responsive mode, and from non-NERC sources (for example, the European Commission Framework Programmes, industry, and UK universities).

Review Group

The Ocean Drilling Review Group will be convened by NERC towards the end of 2010 and will report to NERC on its findings in early 2011.

The Review Group will be led by Professor Sir William Wakeham (ex-Vice Chancellor University of Southampton) and the group's membership will include independent representatives from the UK and international research community (i.e. informed representatives who are not directly involved in the ocean drilling programme) and the NERC Earth systems science Theme Leader, Professor Tim Jickells.

A 'Call for Evidence' for this review will be published by NERC in June 2010. Written responses from the UK community, along with evidence provided directly by the UK IODP research programme, will be primary sources of evidence for this review and it is anticipated that the Review Group will invite a number of representatives of the community to present their evidence in person.

This review will be informed by the US National Research Council review, that will report in October 2010 on ocean drilling and its potential for future transformative discoveries, and the emerging international science plan, that is currently being developed with strong inputs from the UK science community and will define the future science strategy for ocean drilling. Relevant NERC theme leaders will also be consulted for fit to NERC strategy and their upcoming theme action plans.

The final review meeting will consist of open sessions where the Review Group will be able to call on members of the community or of the UKIODP Executive Board / management team to interview. The Review Group will then meet in closed session to discuss the full evidence material and documentation provided. The meeting will be based on the format of the main review documentation and evidence base.

The Review Group's final report will be submitted to NERC in early 2011 and this fits in with the timetable for the international IODP 'renewal' process - which will require ocean drilling partners to sign a new Memorandum of Understanding in 2012.

The Call for Evidence to inform this review will be published on the NERC website in June 2010 and go out on the NERC Earth science and marine science email listservers. In addition, direct requests for inputs to the Call for Evidence will be made to a number of key individuals and organisations / institutions.

Timetable

  • Announcement of Ocean Drilling Review: June 2010
  • Call for Evidence: June 2010
  • Deadline for evidence: August 2010
  • Review Group meeting: December 2010
  • Final review report: early 2011

Terms of reference

The two main objectives of the NERC Ocean Drilling Review will be to:

  • advise on the past performance and value for money of the UK's involvement in the Integrated Ocean Drilling Programme, in terms of scientific excellence and impact, science community and national economic benefits, and the delivery of NERC's current (and previous) science strategy;
     
  • advise on the potential future benefits and value for money from the UK's continued involvement in ocean drilling and its potential to deliver NERC strategic and science priorities.

In addition, the review will:

  • advise on the relative priority for UK science of the three IODP platforms in the future ocean drilling programme.

Communication plan

The announcement of the Ocean Drilling Review and a Call for Evidence will be published by NERC in June 2010. The written and verbal evidence that is given to the review will be treated in strict confidence, as will the Review Group's final report.

An announcement on the renewal of the membership subscription to the new ocean drilling programme will be made once a final funding decision has been made by NERC and negotiations with NERC's ocean drilling partners have been completed. It is anticipated that this announcement would be made no later than mid-2012.

About the programme

 

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