Future Marine Research Infrastructure (FMRI)

Our Mission

There is an imperative to measure the ocean, and this demands a modern, versatile and sustainable research infrastructure.

Our mission is to deliver cutting-edge marine research capabilities so that science can serve society’s need to observe, understand and predict change in the ocean.

About The Programme

FMRI is currently in the business case development phase. We are on a journey to explore the requirements, constraints, partnerships and technical options for the future capability as we lay the foundations for a major investment in UK research infrastructure.

Objectives

FMRI aspires to deliver a marine research infrastructure that allows us to observe the ocean in greater detail than ever before, enables cutting-edge scientific research and offers solutions for a sustainable planet. The programme will:

• Establish an environmentally and economically sustainable marine observation and experimentation infrastructure for current and future research.
• Establish a marine infrastructure portfolio that leads using innovations in measurements and platforms to push the frontiers of marine science.
• Pursue an approach that is outward looking and offers global leadership, collaboration opportunities and opening access to under-represented groups.

It is clear to me that we have the opportunity, through the adoption of new technologies and the development of new observational techniques, to better understand and predict the rising levels of ocean acidification, deoxygenation and warming with the associated, catastrophic impacts upon that ecosystem. And we can be part of the solution to those issues. The leadership shown by UKRI and NERC in this context is incredibly important, and I hugely value the chance to be a part of this endeavour.