| To: | Members of the IODP Community | | From: | Manik Talwani, President, IODP-MI | | Date: | July 24, 2008 | | Re: | Upcoming Program Developments |
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IODP anticipates exciting progress during FY 2009, which begins on October 1. Both the Chikyu and the JOIDES Resolution will conduct IODP expeditions. The Chikyu will perform NanTroSEize drilling tasks while the JOIDES Resolution will mount expeditions in the southern oceans. ESO will start drilling operations off New Jersey and on the Great Barrier Reef. Thus, IODP becomes fully operational; the opportunities this presents for scientists are unprecedented.
These unprecedented opportunities are accompanied by major challenges, largely financial. While the funding agencies are making every effort to support the drillships for year-round operations in the future, it is prudent to have back-up positions in case full-year funding does not come through. With this in mind, the IODP-MI Board of Governors passed the following two motions at its recent meeting in Beijing.
Motion #1
IODP-MI Board of Governors asks the president of IODP-MI to establish an ad-hoc committee on the “Framework for the Future of Scientific Ocean Drilling” to provide recommendations on: | | (1)
| | How scientific ocean drilling can be most efficiently organized and operated given anticipated levels of funding and available infrastructure with emphasis on the period post 2013; and | | | (2)
| | Options for developing additional funding for ocean drilling from other government agencies, industry, and private sources. |
This ad hoc committee may include members from the BoG, IODP Science Advisory Structure, and Implementing Organizations (IOs), as well as the broader geosciences community (including industry), with liaisons from IODP Lead Agencies and ECORD.
A preliminary report should be delivered by December 2008 for discussion at the December 2008 Board meeting, with a final report ready for June 2009.
Motion #2
IODP-MI BoG recommends to IODP IOs that when they consider use of their drilling platforms for off-contract work (for cost avoidance), highest priority should be given to drilling partnerships that involve appropriate elements of the international scientific community.
Finally, my term to serve as president of IODP-MI ends nearly a year from now, at the end of June 2009. The Board of Governors will use the interim period to launch a search for and appoint my successor. Details of this search will be announced shortly.
Sincerely yours,
Manik Talwani
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