MEOPAR’s Expedition Fund, under the SSF
Program Overview
MEOPAR is making it easier for Canadian ocean researchers to obtain funding for collecting observations at sea. With three different horizons (Rapid Response, Strategic Support, and Major Expeditions) the Expedition Fund addresses community needs on short to long timescales.
This program is designed to be fundamentally different in scope from the NSERC Ship Time Program (STP). Whereas the NSERC STP supports NSERC Discovery Grant holders and their individual research programs, the MEOPAR Expedition Fund is intended to support multidisciplinary collaborations on very different scales.
While we anticipate that some projects may leverage a complimentary proposal to the NSERC STP, eligibility for MEOPAR funding is greatly expanded under SSF, extending opportunities to researchers who may have had limited access to vessel funding in the past.
This program was developed in response to an identified need, in part, by the work of the National Research Vessel Task Team, which conducted a survey showing that of 50+ marine researcher respondents, 86% did not have sufficient access to research vessels, and only 30% had a recent opportunity to propose and lead a research expedition as Chief Scientist.
Learn about MEOPAR’s Science Strategy to see how this program advances our core priorities. (et ici pour la version française)
Current Expedition Funding
Rapid Response Horizon
The Rapid Response Horizon is intended to respond quickly to an unexpected event (e.g. spill, unusual ice conditions, major storm, geologic phenomenon, etc.). Planning for this program will take place quickly and the phenomenon being investigated should have a reasonable expectation of meaningful, but perishable, observations given realistic timeframes.
Expedition duration: Several days
Deadline: Rolling
Project Documents
Email Program Manager for Expeditions, Jonathan Kellogg, PhD, to apply.
Email to apply
Strategic Support Horizon
The Strategic Support Horizon is intended to support multidisciplinary collaborations in Canada. We anticipate that expeditions will leverage complementary funds to support scientific or training objectives while the Strategic Support horizon extends opportunities to sea-going researchers who have had difficulty in the past attracting vessel funding. The fund is designed to promote Canadian leadership of expeditions, advance federal strategic objectives, and enable Indigenous owned research vessels to connect with the ocean research sector.
Expedition duration: Several days to several weeks, depending on vessel size
Deadline: December 15, 2025
Call Document
Application Portal will open in September 2025
Webinar
Strategic Support Horizon Information Webinar held on October 22nd. Click to register.
Webinar Registratiom
Developing Canadian Ocean Practitioners
Experiencing fieldwork firsthand develops skills and knowledge that is invaluable to the future of Canadian expeditionary ocean science. As part of MEOPAR’s commitment to improving Canadian leadership in a skilled and diverse workforce of ocean practitioners, we are funding opportunities directed towards providing engaging field research experiences. Eligible recipients must be Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or working at a Canadian institution.
Sea Experience in Shipboard Oceanography – Bermuda
The Sea Experience in Shipboard Oceanography (SESO) program at ASU BIOS (Arizona State University-Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences) on the island of Bermuda invites graduate students and early career scientists to fully participate in research cruise aboard the R/V Atlantic Explorer. Participants will prepare for, and embark on, a 5-day expedition to the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) providing unparalleled insight into the logistics required to execute a research cruise. Bursaries are made possible in conjunction with the Canadian Associates of BIOS (CABIOS).
Deadline: Rolling
Saroma Sea Ice School School 2026 – Japan
Saroma Sea Ice School 2026 is designed for early-career scientists interested in exploring the complex interactions between sea ice, snow, clouds, and aerosols in polar regions. Participants will engage in hands-on data collection such as sea ice coring, snow, seawater, atmospheric samplings, field experiments, and workshops led by experts, focusing on processes critical to the Arctic and Antarctic climate systems. The program combines classroom lectures, practical fieldwork, and data analysis, comprehensively understanding these vital Earth system processes and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration. The BEPSII, CIce2Clouds, and CATCH working groups are organizing this winter field school.
