Oceanographic Facilities and Equipment Support
🏛 U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Jul 16, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for oceanographic facilities and equipment support. Institutions of higher education (2-year and 4-year colleges, community colleges) and non-profit research organizations located in the U.S. may apply.
Proposals must support shared-use facilities and platforms in ocean, coastal, near-shore, or Great Lakes waters. Equipment must serve multiple research projects, not single investigators.
The program funds procurement, upgrade, enhancement, and annual operation of research vessels and shore-based facilities. Individual project-based instrumentation should use other NSF research programs instead.
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Program description
Oceanographic facilities and equipment are supported by the Integrative Programs Section (IPS) of the Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE), Directorate for Geosciences (GEO). These awards are made for the procurement, conversion and/or upgrade, enhancement, or annual operation of platforms in the ocean, coastal and near-shore waters, and Great Lakes. Awards are generally directed specifically to support facilities that lend themselves to shared use within the broad range of Federally supported research and education programs.Most of these platforms and facilities also receive partial support from other federal agencies, state and local governments, and private sources on a proportional basis usually through a daily rate mechanism. The primary objective of these awards is to ensure the availability of appropriate oceanographic facilities for Federally funded investigators and educators. Individual project-based facilities and instrumentation, limited to one, or a small group of, investigator(s), should be supported through appropriate research programs as opposed to through the IPS programs listed herein.
The individual programs covered within this solicitation include:
1. Oceanographic Technical Services (Tech Services)
2. Oceanographic Instrumentation (OI)
3. Shipboard Scientific Support Equipment (SSSE)
Oceanographic Technical Service (Tech Services): The Tech Services Program provides support of institutional technical services to enhance the scientific productivity of research programs, aboard research vessels and in shore-based, shared-use facilities. Research vessel technical services include quality assurance, scheduling of technical support, logistical assistance, and at-sea supervision of the instrumentation and shared-use equipment available to sea-going researchers. This program also provides baseline operational support for the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) equipment pools (wire, vans and winches). Support of research vessel technical services and UNOLS equipment pools includes salaries and related expenses, maintenance and calibration of sensors and instrumentation, and associated travel. Oceanographic technical services support requests must be directly attributable to NSF-sponsored science. With the exception of the wire pool, requests for new or replacement capital equipment must be made through the SSSE or OI programs.
Oceanographic Instrumentation (OI): The OI Program provides support to enhance the scientific capabilities and productivity of seagoing research projects that utilize research vessels as well as shore-based, shared-use facilities. Proposals may include shared-use instrumentation for the collection, processing, and analysis of oceanographic data. Typical instrumentation includes sensors, acoustic systems, data loggers, water sampling rosettes, biological net systems, coring equipment and auto-analyzers. Proposals must be for instrumentation that will support multiple research projects.OI proposals are generally submitted by the institution’s Tech Services manager whose operational funding is provided through the OCE Technical Services Program.
Shipboard Scientific Support Equipment (SSSE): The SSSE Program provides support to improve safety and enhance scientific capabilities and productivity of seagoing research programs that utilize research vessels as well as shore-based, shared-use facilities.. Proposals may include new permanent or portable equipment required to outfit a vessel to conduct oceanographic research as well as overhaul of equipment previously funded under this program, including science handling systems (winches, frames, cranes, etc.), navigation and communication equipment, and safety and regulatory-related items. Requests for purchase of new winch pool or van pool capital equipment must be submitted to this program. SSSE proposals are generally submitted by the institution’s Marine Superintendent whose operational funding is provided through the Ship Operations Program in OCE.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- NSF Project Narrative (proposal description)
- Budget and Budget Justification
- Current and Pending Support
- Facility/equipment specifications and design drawings
- Letters of support from user institutions
- Institutional commitment letter
- SF-424 (Research and Related Budget Form)
Program contact
- 👤 U.S. National Science Foundation
- 📧 grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov
- 📞 703-292-4203
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 47.050 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
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$640,746,599
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$399,999,980
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$220,735,035
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$106,638,563
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$82,550,071
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$74,280,323
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$73,335,203
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$68,622,497
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$64,462,832
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$63,916,877
Top States by Funding
- TX 4 awards $689.8M
- MA 16 awards $667.5M
- OR 5 awards $452.4M
- CA 12 awards $286.7M
- NY 7 awards $217.5M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 47.050). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $1,009,920,000 | |
| 2025 | $1,013,630,000 | |
| 2026 est. | $374,350 |
FAQ
Who can submit proposals for this grant?
U.S. institutions of higher education and non-profit research organizations directly involved in oceanographic research. International branch campuses of U.S. institutions need justification for international work.
What activities does this program fund?
Procurement, upgrade, and operation of shared-use oceanographic platforms, vessels, and facilities. Also funds technical services, instrumentation, and safety equipment.
Is cost-sharing required?
No cost-sharing is required. However, most facilities receive partial support from other federal agencies, state/local governments, and private sources.
What is the funding range for awards?
Awards range from $5,000 to $47,500,000. The total program funding pool is $47,500,000.
When is the deadline?
The fixed deadline is January 11, 2027. Check NSF's website for any rolling deadlines or additional submission windows.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Focus on shared-use capabilities. NSF prioritizes facilities serving multiple research projects, not individual investigators.
- Emphasize federal research support. Explain how your facility advances NSF-funded oceanographic research and education.
- Address institutional capacity. Show you have the technical expertise and operational infrastructure to manage the facility long-term.
- Document operational needs clearly. Specify annual operating costs, maintenance schedules, and staffing requirements separately from capital purchases.
- Submit through the right program track. Choose between Tech Services, Oceanographic Instrumentation, or SSSE based on your equipment type and goals.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Proposals requesting equipment for single investigators or small research groups instead of shared-use platforms get rejected. NSF expects projects to serve multiple external users.
Inadequate justification of how the facility supports federally funded research activities leads to weak applications. Connect facility improvements directly to NSF research priorities.
Insufficient operational detail about staffing, maintenance, calibration, and cost-sharing arrangements weakens competitiveness. Be explicit about long-term sustainability.
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