Partners and Collaborators
The K.G. Jebsen Centre for Deep Sea Research (JC-DeepSea) will have a matrix organisation.
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JC-DeepSea will be led by a Director supported by a secretary who also will draw on administrative resources from the Department of Earth Science and the faculty pool of administrative resources.
The director will select a deputy among the principal investigators.
There will be a Scientific Advisory Committee, which will be drawn from JC-DeepSea’s pool of international partners and external experts.
Each work package will be led by a WP-coordinator. This position will be rotated to give other researchers leadership experience.
A team of principal investigators (PIs) will be responsible for running the work packages, where a given PI may contribute to a single or to multiple WPs.
Local and national co-operation
JC-DeepSea will be further strengthened through partnerships with the Bergen Marine Research Cluster.
This partnership will in particular involve Institute of Marine Research (IMR), Christian Michelsen Research (CMR), and UniResearch.
JC-DeepSea will collaborate with colleagues at University of Tromsø and at University of Oslo as well as other Norwegian universities.
JC-DeepSea is also leading the development of a scientific program as part of a national collaborative program on the Polar basin that is supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
JC-DeepSea will be used by the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate as an Expert Centre on questions relating to mineral resources in areas under Norwegian Jurisdiction.
International co-operation
Internationally, JC-DeepSea will collaborate with a number of institutions that have deep sea research programs.
JC-DeepSea will continue the long-standing collaboration with University of Washington (UW, USA). UW leads the US Neptune Program - a regional cabled ocean observatory in the Northeast Pacific Ocean. The collaboration is important for technology development in this area and know how exchange between the USA and Norway, and is particularly relevant today when ocean observatories are being established off the coast of Norway.
Research collaboration in seagoing and experimental hydrothermal geochemistry will be ongoing with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI, USA) and the MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences (University of Bremen, Germany). Assosiate Prof. E. Reeves (Dept. of Earth Science, UiB) has close connections with both MARUM and WHOI, and has a Long Term Guest Investigator appointment at WHOI. These leading institutions have seagoing programs and deep-sea technology that can aid in global mid-ocean ridge research.
JC-DeepSea will also collaborate with world leading researchers within the field of geomicrobiology in the USA, at the Bigelow laboratory for Ocean Sciences and at MARUM (Bremen) through B. Orcutt and W. Bach, respectively. Renowned microbiologists with expertise in advanced genomics are also tightly associated through already established projects, and include T Ettema and C Schleper from the University of Uppsala, Sweden and University of Vienna, Austria, respectively.
JC-DeepSea will collaborate closely with other research groups working on seafloor accretion at slow spreading rates.
- We will continue taking part in the international effort lead by the Institute de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP, France), to gather data on the easternmost part of the South West Indian Ridge.
- We will also develop collaboration with the GEOMAR - Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research of Kiel (Germany). This institute is conducting regular expeditions along the southern section of the magma-rich Kolbeinsey ridge north of Iceland, completing our scientific program along this ridge (WP1).
- Finally, we will further develop our ongoing collaboration with Harvard University (USA) in the search for a diagnostic petrological difference in erupted basalts during symmetric and asymmetric spreading along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Trans-Atlantic & EU
JC-DeepSea will benefit substantially from the Trans-Atlantic research collaboration established through the SponGES project that was recently funded by the European Commission through the Horizon 2020 program. The project will contribute to several of the work packages and will particularly aid in improving the preservation and sustainable exploitation of Atlantic marine ecosystem. It involves cooperation with world leaders within the fields of deep-water biodiversity and vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems, from, among others, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Centre d’Estudis Avancats de Blanes and Instituto do Mar.
Portugal
In addition, we will continue to develop collaboration with Portugal, which is important for the Centre’s field activities outside Norwegian waters. Through a Norwegian-Portuguese funding scheme (EEA), we will establish a partnership with the Portuguese Task Group for the Extension of the Continental Shelf (EMEPC) and the Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA). This partnership opens joint opportunities to share resources, expertise and knowledge that are of importance for both countries, and will enable Centre researchers to take part in seagoing expeditions at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge around the Azores.
Partnerships across sectors
Strengthening the academic-industry bridge is critical for ensuring that Norway continues to build its national expertise and competency. Norway has been a pioneer and international leader in deep sea submersible and observatory technology. In the knowledge-based economy of the future, this expertise will be an integral part of Norway’s contribution to the International Community.
A number of the researchers at the new Centre have already experience bridging from academia to applications by giving presentations and being invited speakers at professional meetings such as trade-shows and industry fora.
In addition, CGB researchers have been called on to provide expert advice to policy- and decision-makers, locally, nationally and internationally. With the growing interest in deep sea resources, this expertise will be increasing in demand.
JC-DeepSea intends to explore tools to strengthen the bridges between academia and business such as industry-funded PhDs, and practical work-placements. Centre researchers will continue to participate in such professional meetings, and invitations will be extended to industry representatives be guest lecturers or to participate in the Centre’s workshops and seminars.
Participation in International Programmes
UiB hosts the Norwegian IODP-office and is a key institution in the Norwegian IODP effort. JC-DeepSea has recently received funding from the MagellanPlus program to host an international workshop to develop a new drilling project at the AMOR.
A JC-DeepSea researcher is a PI in the upcoming Surtsey drilling project, and in the Deep Carbon Observatory were we have been funded through their Census for Deep Life program.
The JC-DeepSea leader is a member of the steering committee and the Centre intends to host the InterRidge office at UiB for the next period.
