Written evidence submitted by National Oceanography Centre (SDY0039)
The UK’s National Oceanography Centre (NOC) is one of the world’s leading ocean scientific research and technology institutions, with a remit to deliver research from the coast to the deep sea. We are an independent research organisation, with charitable status. We were formerly part of the Natural Environmental Research Council (NERC), which is part of UK Research and Innovation, until 2019, and remain one of six NERC research centres.
We undertake and facilitate world-class, agenda-setting scientific research and technology development to understand the ocean, which in turn underpins international and UK public policy, business and societal outcomes. We are in a unique position of having world-leading multi-disciplinary scientific and technical expertise from coast to deep ocean, and from physics to fish.
NOC operates the Royal Research Ships James Cook and Discovery and develops technology for coastal and deep ocean research. This includes autonomous vehicles and sensors, which can be used to explore the oceans and collect data to better understand and monitor marine environments. Working with our national and international partners, we provide long-term marine science capability including sustained ocean observations, data management, mapping of the seafloor and its habitats, scientific research and advice.
Among the resources that we provide on behalf of the UK are the British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC), the Marine Autonomous and Robotic Systems (MARS) facility, the National Tide and Sea Level Facility (NTSLF), the National Marine Equipment Pool (NMEP) and British Ocean Sediment Core Research Facility (BOSCORF).
To what extent is the UK considered a global leader in science and innovation and how does this contribute to its soft power on the global stage?
The UK has a vibrant scientific research environment, with a substantial number of research institutions, including the National Oceanography Centre. The non-governmental body, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and their nine councils, supports the research and innovation environment within the UK through its work. Two of the councils of UKRI are the most relevant to this inquiry – NERC and Innovate UK. Both of these councils together had over £3,000m funding over the period of 2022/23 – 2024/25 to fund their operations and UK science and innovations initiatives.
UK marine scientists generate world class output volume (3rd (at 10%) in terms of total publications after US and China) and quality (1st globally in category normalised citation impact). Further evidence of marine science excellence is provided by the Research Excellence Framework (REF), the UK’s system for assessing the quality of research in the university sector, which acknowledges the amount of world-leading (4*) research in marine science from UK marine researchers. For example, Southampton (62%), Bangor (48%), Liverpool (44%), University of Highlands and Islands (33%), Plymouth (23%). It should be noted that as part of this research UK marine scientists are playing an important role in international science programmes, with 80% of outputs involving international collaborations (globally joint highest with German). The UK has a particular strength in ocean-climate research, but all areas of marine science are internationally competitive.
Ocean science, research and technology are key areas of research due to the significant impact of the ocean on the planet and every living being affected by what happens in the ocean. Ocean science discoveries feed into nearly all sectors of the economy, with an increasing trend of research and technology being focused on mitigations or adaptation to climate change. The UK, being both an island state and a G7 country, can and should do more in this area.
Whilst UK can be considered a global leader, there are certainly ways in which UK’s position could be enhanced. According to the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (IOC-UNESCO)’s Global Ocean Science Report of 2020, whilst UK does contribute above average to overall ocean science output globally, the UK gross domestic expenditure on scientific research is less than average. The proportion of gross domestic expenditure devoted to ocean science specifically is also low, with UK coming 14th from the nations that responded to information requests, even though the UK is only one of six countries allocating budgets of over US$200million (it is worth noting that this figure included a one-time investment in the RRS David Attenborough). The UK also comes only 17th when it comes to the number of researchers in ocean science per million inhabitants.
UK marine scientists contribute science and scientific evidence to critical intergovernmental programmes including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the IOC-UNESCO UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, as well as support the UK Government’s input into the international treaties and agreements such as the new Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction agreement. One of the examples of this is NOC’s role in the UNESCO-IOC – an organisation, which promotes international cooperation in marine sciences to improve management of the ocean, coasts, and marine resources. Consisting of 150 Member States IOC works to coordinate programmes in capacity development, ocean observations and services, ocean science, tsunami warning, and ocean literacy. NOC leads the UK’s delegation, and we work closely with leading experts across Member States to help to achieve the objectives of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).
Additionally, we support UK’s involvement in international fora by providing coordination for the G7 ocean observation activities and being a member of the Partnerships for Observations of the Global Ocean (POGO), amongst others. These activities, which NOC supports on behalf of the UK Government, sit at the heart of ocean diplomacy and allows for international collaboration in ocean science and observation.
Finally, the UK has access to a significant number of research vessels (6th largest number of vessels according to the Global Ocean Science Report of 2020), which includes innovative technologies, such as gliders and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). These technologies are used by national and international teams of researchers and provide additional “soft” power enabling international collaboration and highlighting UK’s contributions.
As outlined above, NOC operate two world leading oceanographic research vessels, the RSS Discovery and RSS James Cook whose scientific endeavour is complimented by an array of innovative in-house technologies including autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs and gliders and includes our fleet of Boaty McBoatface Autosub Long Range), and complex oceanographic sensor and data collection systems. Both ships operate globally, most recently delivering oceanographic science and survey across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, up to the ice edge in both the Arctic and Antarctic and across the Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas. At the same time, they also support global science and discovery programmes such as Seabed 2030, which is a collaborative initiative between The Nippon Foundation and General Bathymetric Chart of the Ocean (GEBCO) aimed at mapping the entire ocean floor by the year 2030, and ARGO, which is an international program that measures water properties across the world’s ocean using a fleet of robotic instruments that drift with the ocean currents and move up and down between the surface and a mid-water level.
In delivering world class science globally, the ships also project significant ‘soft power’ through the work of the embarked UK and international researchers and collaborators. NOC works closely with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to maximise engagement and capacity building opportunities during routine port calls. Recent highlights include the hosting of Ambassadorial Receptions (Reykjavik, Montevideo and Lisbon) and national and international science symposiums and academic outreach programmes and events (Greenland, Canada, United States, Portugal and Uruguay). There is also an increasing trend in co-production of science, including oceanographic cruises with scientists from other countries. Such collaboration builds long-term relationships between U.K. and overseas marine science institutions as well as strengthens relationships to governments and governmental institutions overseas on matters of ocean governance.
Finally, our British Ocean Sediment Core Research Facility, the UK’s national deep-sea core repository, and the Discovery Collections, the only collection consisting solely of deep-sea and open-ocean invertebrates in the UK, are facilities which are one of a kind, and attract national and international usage and we regularly work with international partners to enable them to access these facilities.
Science and technology play a key role in UK’s national security. From the perspective of marine science, one of the key contributions is the continuing increase in our understanding of the hazards for subsea cables. With over 99% of global data transfer and international communications (including the internet, $trillions/day in financial transactions, and military traffic) being dependent on undersea telecommunications cables, while offshore power cables carry 46% of the UK’s energy (from offshore renewables), redistributing power between countries and providing critical power and communications for island communities. The threats to this infrastructure are a global concern and the UK, as an island nation, is not immune to them (as highlighted by our recent submission to UK Parliament’s Joint Committee on National Security Strategy’s call for evidence[i]. These concerns also apply to the on-land equipment that connect these undersea cables with terrestrial infrastructure.
Although malicious sabotage is a possible cause of cable damage, evidence from instances of cable damage reveals that >70% relates to inadvertent interactions with fishing gear or ships’ anchors. Depending on the location, natural hazards (including underwater landslides, sediment avalanches, storms, seafloor currents or volcanic eruptions) can account for 10-20% of cable damage. While natural hazards account for a smaller proportion, they are important as they can affect multiple cable systems synchronously, across extremely large areas, limiting rerouting of data traffic by other systems.
Ocean science and observations are key to providing the necessary evidence base that ensure that this important infrastructure is protected and we continue to research the ways in which it can become more resilient to risks that are evolving due to climate change, to provide evidence to ensure that such systems are installed and maintained in the most environmentally-sensitive manner, and to potentially use the global network to better understand a wide range of processes in the ocean, protecting this key aspect of UK’s national security.
There is a lot of potential to combine the needs of the scientific community and those of the national defence community. For example, NOC is working on fibre optic sensors that can remotely detect damage or tampering of subsea cables, critical underwater infrastructure as set out above, whilst also providing environmental information about the water around it that would be of interest to scientists.
We have also recently renewed our Memorandum of Understanding with the Royal Navy to reinforce our long-standing partnership in supporting their work and that of their Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. One of the examples of work we have done with them is demonstrating the use of maritime autonomy in national defence, while also while also providing environmental data to the oceanographic community.
The UK has the potential to become a global leader in science and technology to a larger extent than currently. As previously set out, UK’s funding for science and technology, and particularly marine science and technology, is relatively low. More sustained, long-term funding would allow for more longer-term research and development to take place.
At NOC, we’re pleased to have our Marine Autonomous and Robotic Systems (MARS) facility, which provides unique and world-leading robotic and autonomous systems to be used in the marine environment and, houses our AUV and other innovative technologies, which are available to marine researchers in the UK and abroad. Our Innovation Centre also hosts our Innovation Hub, which currently has over 40 members and facilitates business access to a network of experts, potential partners, and cutting-edge research, as well as opportunities to collaborate on industry-led projects, align with funded research initiatives, and accelerate the development of new ocean-related solutions. The Hub provides a vital environment for leading marine and maritime technology industries to connect, innovate, and lead in the evolving ocean economy.
We have also recently launched our Ocean Catalyst programme, which is the first of its kind in the UK, as the only business accelerator dedicated to ocean technology. This programme will provide early-stage marine tech startups with an ecosystem that nurtures their growth and fosters collaboration among scientists, innovators, and industry leaders. This will include skill-building workshops, mentoring and access to our facilities.
Following the success of the development of science / industry clusters in France, known as Technopoles, the NOC is looking towards such a development in the Solent region. An example of this is the Brest-Iroise Technopole which includes 2,650 organisations and employs more than 42,000 people as well as training 8,500 a year. These clusters bring together academic institutions such as the NOC and University of Southampton, as innovators with industry and defence companies for full commercialisation of new products. They are also critical in the education of new employees for maritime high technology sectors providing human capacity to grow these valuable industries. Maritime UK Solent list 239 companies within the region encompassing everything from microenterprises to international marine technology and defence companies. NOC is currently working together with local government in the Solent region to understand how devolution could help in the development of a world-leading marine Technopole in the Solent region covering Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight but possibly reaching all the way to the M4 corridor.
This fits into the UK Government’s agenda for science and technology, primarily through the scaling up and developing of innovative ocean technology industries, attracting private investment, providing economic growth and working together with national and international partners.
We feel that this provides a significant opportunity in terms of showcasing to UK Government some of the innovative and world-class scientific research, being undertaken within the UK, which can benefit how this technology could be produced at scale to allow, for example, for more consistent ocean observations to take place. However, we feel that there is scope for greater understanding and engagement from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), especially when it comes to recognising and highlighting these innovations in ocean science. There are significant opportunities for ocean science to be really integrated. This has been, at times, lacking and we would like to be able to showcase our work to them to a greater extent.
We believe that an International Science Strategy would be hugely beneficial to promote UK’s world-class research and development capabilities and to create an overall framework and a clear, overarching Government position on science, technology and innovation, and related matters, potentially tying together our current capabilities, better translating research into technological development in the private sector and working with our global partners. Fundamental part of this strategy would be the inclusion of the ocean. The ocean covers about 70% of the Earth’s surface and provides fantastic economic benefits, as well as ways to tackle the climate change. It is crucial that we’re part of understanding what is happening in the ocean, and this requires a joined-up approach.
At present, we find that ocean and marine-related issues are divided between several departments with no clear big picture-oversight. For example, domestic and international marine, climate change and adaptation fall under the portfolio of Minister for Water and Flooding at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Emma Hardy MP. Meanwhile, the technology and science that would allow for these climate change adaptations falls under the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
In turn, the international agreements which would allow these approaches to be used globally, such as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ or the High Seas Treaty), falls under the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Finally, the marine autonomy, which is a key part of enabling ocean observations, falls under Department for Transport’s (DfT) Aviation, Maritime and Security, Mike Kane MP.
Similarly, the resilience of subsea telecommunications cables also falls under DSIT’s remit, while security of power cables is under the purview of DESNZ, and the responsibility for the decommissioning of both assets sits under DEFRA. Consideration of marine-related hazards falls to multiple different departments, which are discussed at the Cabinet Office.
In 2018, the then Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Boris Johnson, announced a plan to bring together all the Government’s international oceans’ work under a single strategy and coordinated approach, for the first time. It was planned that this would encompass work from departments including Defra, Department for Transport (DfT) and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
This was a much welcome announcement, however, there has not been a formal publication of this strategy. Given the current Government’s welcome focus into the link between foreign policy and the climate crisis, there is a significant opportunity for the current Government to progress with an updated International Ocean Strategy. This would be an important step for the UK to showcase its global leadership in international ocean governance and to ensure there is a coordinated approach for alignment with the UK’s environmental, and other obligations, such as marine science capacity development of low- and middle-income countries under multiple international marine treaties. This could encompass the key priorities across Whitehall to ensure that the UK is managing its obligations in a coordinated and structured approach.
As set out previously, the UK is a key partner of a number of marine-related international fora. The relationships with other G7 countries, UN agencies, in particular IOC-UNESCO, ISA (International Seabed Authority) and DOALOS (Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea), European partners, are key to our work and that of the UK.
Additionally, our other key networks are the UK Science and Technology Network and the UK Science and Innovation Network, which lead on developing science partnerships and deploying science diplomacy around the world and we work with country officers on our engagement related to our ships, as discussed above, and our relationships with embassies. This is a crucial network to allow us to build international scientific partnerships.
This varies depending on the sector in question and the degree to which there are already (semi)formalised relationships in place.
Long-standing collaborations that connect multiple research centres, government departments and response agencies, such as the Natural Hazards Partnership, mean that there are examples that have been promoted internationally as best practice. NOC contributes to ongoing liaison and engagement through its participation in the Natural Hazards Partnership (advisory group to the Cabinet Office) that provides updates to the UK National Risk Assessment and National Risk Register. In such setups, there is a clear mechanism to ensure that scientific evidence can be translated to end-users to quickly ensure decisions can be made effectively and rapidly.
As another example, ongoing NOC-led research in collaboration with the subsea cable industry (European Subsea Cables Association, International Cable Protection Committee and various operators and owners) and UK Government (Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT), Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Crown Estate and Crown Estate Scotland) is ensuring that UK-funded research is providing a robust evidence base to inform future decision-making to enhance the resilience of the existing and future subsea cable networks, and that the UK government is aware of the latest state of the art developments in technology such as sensing using in-service cables that has wide scientific, security and industrial applications. A recent NERC-funded COP26 project led by NOC focused on understanding climate change-related hazards for subsea cables, which was used to support the 2022 update of the UK’s National Strategy for Maritime Security in collaboration with the subsea cable resilience team of DSIT (formerly DCMS). NOC now contributes formally to the Subsea Communications Cables Industry Group (SCIGG) that is hosted by DSIT, which aims to ensure there is clear and transparent communication – particularly in relation to security.
However, such groups do not exist across all aspects of security, or do not currently effectively connect all relevant stakeholders, running the risk of missing key evidence, inputs or expertise. One key challenge is the nature of staff turnover within different government departments, which is typically 1-3 years and usually no more. Consequently, there is a real risk of losing a lot of legacy knowledge and a requirement for significant time spent updating new post-holders.
Organisations like NOC can play an important role in ensuring that legacy knowledge about hazards for infrastructure etc are retained and relayed to new post-holders. Continuing and/or better formalising relationships with UK Government would enhance this knowledge-exchange, ensuring new post-holders can effectively tap into that legacy knowledge. Therefore NOC (and similar organisations) position different committees/advisory bodies is important, but it is worth noting that this often goes unfunded or at is at-best funded in part through NERC’s National Capability National Public Good funding.
As a consequence, much of that activity is presently supported through goodwill, and greater investment in ensuring long-term knowledge exchange is supported is important. Some of this may be supported through short-term policy exchange fellowships (e.g. current call by UKRI), but this does not address the longer-term issue.
The unit should focus on the critical national infrastructure based in the seas/oceans to provide geopolitical and environmental defence, and how organisations like NOC can further support national security efforts using the capabilities to which we have access.
It can be difficult to apply precise, quantitative measurements to the impact of science diplomacy activities. The impact will mostly be qualitative and reputational in nature, such as conversations that are more positive in tone, being proactively approached to be involved in new projects and initiatives, programmes resulting in change in legislation etc. Despite the issues of precisely measuring this, the reputational impact can’t be overstated. A good example of this is the evaluation undertaken by the Growing Research Capability (GROW) programme, which was delivered by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) as part of the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF). This included analysis of the impact of the programme’s activities.
This report stated that “that the nature and longevity of the GROW programme had enabled collaborations with countries in regions that had previously been hard to engage (such as the Horn of Africa) facilitating the UK’s first ever research partnerships with LLMICs such as Eritrea and Somalia. They also referenced invitations for policy engagement and opportunities for ‘soft diplomacy’ that would never have arisen without involvement in GROW. For instance, one UK PI described their recent attendance (in July 2024) at a meeting of nine ministers of health in Southern and East Africa; the PI was one of just two non-Africa-based individuals invited to the event. The meeting provided opportunities for focused engagement and agreement of MoUs with policy makers from African Union institutions with responsibility for delivering development impacts. The PI felt sure that these opportunities would not have arisen without the GROW award and their involvement as an academic had facilitated a level of trust, access and potential for diplomacy not possible for UK government employees”[ii].
It is our belief that scientific research and technological development can provide “soft” diplomatic power in a way that is not always possible through direct political diplomacy and is an important tool in supporting the reputation of the UK.
The UK Government’s decision to cut the ODA spending reduction has meant a reduction in funding available to NERC to fund projects in the international development space.
Whilst some programmes, such as Blue Planet Fund, which was announced during the Johnson government and is supporting developing countries to protect the marine environment and reduce poverty, is still funded at £500m over 5 years, others, such as Global Challenge Research Fund (GCRF) and Newton Fund programmes have been discontinued in light of these cuts. Global Challenge Research Fund’s highlights included, a global network for addressing neglected tropical diseases, using traditional culture and art to promote democracy in Sri Lanka, supported sustainable ocean, livelihoods and food security through increased capacity in ecosystem research in the Western Indian Ocean, and the use of groundwater to build community resilience in Nigeria, among others. The Newton Fund, in turn, supported UK research funders and institutions to collaborate with partners in middle-income countries to promote the economic development and social welfare.
We would urge the re-instatement of the 0.7% of GNI spending on ODA to allow these or similar initiatives to take place once more.
Similarly to the earlier question on measurement of these activities, it is difficult to put quantitative value on these kinds of activities. The impact is often reputational in nature. As already mentioned earlier, research being undertaken as international collaborations are seen as resulting in better quality and higher impact research, thus boosting the reputation of everyone who is involved. The already mentioned GROW programme report highlighted that participants of the programme learned from their international counterparts, which in turn improved their research outcomes and provided them with greater understanding.
Whilst it may be difficult to determine the exact value, the lack of these collaborations would certainly be felt reputationally, as well as providing our researchers less opportunity to share information and best practice with others.
Currently, there are no equivalent agreements in marine and ocean research space.
We do, however, have plenty of other collaborative initiatives, such as the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (set out above), the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), The Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean (POGO) and the Special Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR). Additionally, we are involved in the Ocean Facilities Exchange Group, which represents Europe’s leading oceanographic research organisations and provides a forum to consider barter exchange and co-operation opportunities for the Global and Ocean Class research fleet.
All of these highlight the importance of collaborated approach, in particular, when it comes to ocean research, observation and innovation. As a resource of global importance, connecting and impacting all of us, it is impossible for one country to answer all questions and challenges of the ocean, and the collaboration is key to better understanding. It means that information and resources are shared enabling economies of scale and allowing scientists, researchers and innovators to focus on unanswered questions and new challenges, instead of covering the same ground as other partners have.
Anecdotally, there is a significant funding available from the private sector that could be made available for R&D investment. However, this there needs to be a good mechanism for matching this potential funding with projects in development, as well as the human expertise to make them happen. We need more people with the required skills now and in the future. This can then lead to economic development in locally and nationally by promoting good quality and well-paid jobs.
As previously outlined, NOC has our Innovation Centre, which hosts our Innovation Hub and the Ocean Catalyst programme – all aimed at bridging the gap between science, research and private enterprise. Since 2020, NOC has invested over £1.5 million in dedicated expertise to accelerate the commercialisation and industrial upscale of our science and research. This has resulted in the creation of two cutting-edge start-ups and an estimated job creation externally of over 25 FTE. Alongside job creation, the growth of NOC Innovations has also driven private investment in UK science and research capability, through links with industry and commercial organisations. This has included the creation of the Blue Ocean Research Alliance (BORA) partnership with Subsea7, an engineering, construction and services company serving the offshore energy industry, to engage the offshore energy sector in funding key research projects and providing access to their infrastructure and data. More recently, we have made an agreement, which see Madeira Island’s Regional Agency for the Development of Research, Technology and Innovation, ARDITI, acquire two NOC Autosub Long Range (ALR) autonomous underwater vehicles, for use in ocean science offshore Portugal and beyond, as part of our ongoing commercialisation efforts.
These kinds of initiatives to bring together potential private sector enterprises with our vast science, research and technology expertise could bring significant economic benefits to the UK and, in particular, coastal communities, with skilled, high-quality jobs.
There are many ways in which the government can ensure that leading scientists continue to view the UK as an attractive place to base themselves, but a key consideration is around stability and long-term investment – whether governmental or from the private sector. This funding needs to be long-term and sustained so that longer-term research can take place without researchers worrying about their projects being cut short.
It is also important that universities, research institutions and other similar bodies continue to thrive and have the necessary staffing levels to allow research without burnout. This means that they have the necessary funding to allow continued staffing levels.
9th May 2025
10
[i] National Security Strategy (Joint Committee) evidence from the National Oceanography Centre https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/138938/pdf
[ii] Pg 46. GROW Evaluation Report (UKRI-200225-GlobalChallengesResearchFundGrowingResearchCapabilityFinalImpactEvaluationReport.pdf)