Research programs

Coastal Marine Institute The purpose of CMI is to provide matching MMS funding for research in Alaska on coastal, marine and human environmental issues pertaining to offshore mineral exploration and extraction. Up to $1,000,000 per year is available as match (co-funding) for projects. No limit is set on the dollar amount for each project, but the intent of CMI is to fund several smaller projects. Researchers must secure at least one dollar of nonfederal matching funds for every dollar from CMI.	Alaska Sea Grant We provide funding to scientific researchers and graduate students. Our advisory service is for fishermen, boat operators, tour guides, the seafood industry, and pretty much anyone else who makes a living from or enjoys the waters of Alaska. We produce and distribute a variety of publications for the general public, K-12 educators, fishermen, and others. And (of course) we also publish the results of Sea Grant-sponsored research.
West Coast and Polar Regions Undersea Research Center (WCPRURC) The West Coast Center entertains proposals from university and state/federal agency scientists, as well as some from the private sector. Project funding is awarded following a peer review process. The Center then coordinates the use of equipment and facilities by funded scientists. Projects supported typically address research questions that require use of manned research submersibles, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), side-scan sonar, SCUBA, plus support vessels. Available equipment includes NURP-owned as well as leased vehicles and vessels. Cooperative agreements with other groups such as MBARI, have expanded the scope of research opportunities available through the Center.	Pollock Conservation Cooperative Research Center (PCCRC) The Center provides: (1) grants and fellowships to faculty and graduate students for research on the fisheries, fish, and other species of the North Pacific and Bering Sea with an emphasis on pollock, other groundfish species, the fisheries for these species, and on Steller sea lions; (2) funding for marine education, technical training, and equipment; and (3) funding for research in the area of marine resource economics. While proposals in any of the above areas will be accepted, the PCC Research Center annually identifies subjects of particular interest and gives the highest consideration to proposals within these areas.
Rasmuson Fisheries Research Center The Center was founded in 1994 by Elmer E. Rasmuson with a million dollar endowment to the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The endowment continued to grow through a $100,000 donation by Wards Cove Packing Company and additional contributions by Mr. Rasmuson. Subsequent to his death on 8 December 2000, a second major endowment in support of the Center was created through a bequest from Mr. Rasmuson's estate. The endowments are managed by the University of Alaska Foundation, and interest on the principle is used to support the research of graduate students that contributes toward the scientific or applied knowledge base of Alaska's marine environs and resources.	Ocean Acidification Research Center The seafood industry in Alaska is global in stature with an estimated value of $5.8 billion and creates the largest private sector employer in the state. Ocean acidification has the potential to disrupt this industry from top to bottom with coupled direct/indirect effects. Alaska communities need viable strategies to anticipate and respond to future changes brought on by ocean acidification. Such complex analyses require a coordinated effort that can only be accomplished through the OARC.
Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) KSMSC promotes the sustainable use of Alaska fisheries through collaborative research, application, education and information transfer in areas of seafood safety, quality, bycatch reduction, product markets and environmental concerns. The USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) program at KSMSC develops new knowledge to increase the value of underutilized seafood processing byproducts as food and feed ingredients in a sustainable manner.