Working Alongside Global Partners
NOC currently plays a vital role in delivering scientific and technical advice to underpin diverse UK interests in international ocean affairs. To achieve this, NOC draws on a critical mass of independent, distinctive scientific and technical expertise across a broad range of disciplines, and we use these to engage with international partners.
As well as this, NOC plays a key role in enabling the UK marine community to contribute to global scale programmes, addressing the most pressing environmental questions of our generation.
International Partnership Networks
NOC provides the UK Delegation to the IOC to ensure that representation is scientifically and technically led. NOC receives and disseminates information relating to global scale programmes, working with partners throughout the UK, including the UK National Commission for UNESCO, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), to ensure UK interests are best represented.
Learn MoreAs the leading UK agency working on the high seas and in the deepest parts of the world's ocean, NOC has many years' experience exploring environments of the deep seafloor where mineral resources can be found.
Learn MoreNOC is a host institute supporting the Nippon Foundation of Japan Fellowship Programme, as executed by DOALOS. The Fellowship fund provides capacity-building and human resource development to developing States Parties and non-Parties to UNCLOS. NOC provides a supervisor to fellows from around the globe who have projects relating to maritime space and governance of the marine environment.
Learn MoreNOC provides a scientific adviser role to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, supporting the UK Government (Defra and FCDO specifically) in developing UK positions to ensure the UK Government is cognisant of how activities on the high seas are undertaken, help minimise the impact of the BBNJ Treaty on marine scientific research on the high seas and advise on initiatives within other international endeavours, including in relation to capacity building and the transfer of marine technology.
Learn MoreNOC is an active member of the European Marine Board (EMB) and provides the NERC-UKRI representative. The EMB is an independent advisory body and provides a forum for research institutes, academic consortia and research funders from across Europe to discuss scientific developments at the strategic level.
Learn MoreNOC is one of three UK members of EuroGOOS, the two others being the UK Met Office and Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas). Between the three agencies, the UK is well represented in influencing and delivering ocean observations in Europe's regional seas.
Learn More
National Partnership Networks
NOC has been involved in the recently established Marine Science UK, an umbrella organisation that acts as a collective voice for marine science across the UK universities and research organisations to champion the seas and ocean and to communicate robust and coherent marine science evidence to government, industry and the wider community.
Learn MoreThe National Research Organisations (NRO) Group is an alliance of around 40 UK science and research centres. Together, we form an ecosystem dedicated to advancing science for the benefit of people, communities, the economy, planet, and national resilience. As a trusted voice of UK scientific research, the NRO Group provides a unified and authoritative perspective on science, policy, and research investment – making research matter.
Learn MoreThe NOCA, a membership of UK marine research centres, institutes and consortia, enables the UK's marine science community to provide input to discussion about marine national capability.
Recent examples of coordinated community responses include delivery of the UK Sustained Scientific Observation Priorities report, the Upscaling Autonomy in the UK report and the UK’s contribution to the Global Ocean Science Report.
Learn MoreThe Underwater Sound Forum enables experts to come together to learn about the latest developments in research, standards and legislation of underwater sound.
Learn MoreThe Marine Facilities Advisory Board brings together experts from the UK’s marine science community to work with National Marine Facilities in determining the future equipment requirements for marine science.
Learn MoreThe Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal Group supports experts from the UK marine science community and government departments in knowledge exchange on mCDR.
NOC's Public Affairs
NOC works with the UK government and policymakers to support its policy needs and with industry to stimulate prosperity and growth. We work with partners to ensure our ocean knowledge supports civil society and is used to engage the public, so they understand the ocean and its role in our lives. We also support other organisations through providing research facilities, enabling high-quality science for public good.