NOAA Announces IRA Funds for Climate Resiliency through the Ocean Enterprise Initiative

On September 25, 2023, NOAA announced $3.9 million in IRA funds will go to the Marine Technology Society (MTS) to engage the Ocean Enterprise Initiative.  The Ocean Enterprise Initiative includes public, private, non-profit, tribal and academic entities that provide ocean observation, measurement and forecasting data or deliver operational ocean information products and services. MTS and NOAA will work together to consolidate recommendations and make them actionable, produce road maps and needs assessments necessary to ocean observation services, develop the Ocean Enterprise Initiative workforce, and enhance coastal and ocean climate resilience. These partnerships provide critical services to support many marine environmental management activities and economic sectors, including offshore energy, shipping and coastal resilience. Specific projects supported by this funding include ocean carbon dioxide removal technologies and real-time ocean data telemetry standards, as well as broader national priorities like ocean-driven renewable energy transformation, marine ecosystem conservation, and the cultivation of the Blue Economy’s future workforce.