ECORD: European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling

The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) is an international research programme
for scientific oceanic drilling supported by 26 countries. Started up in October 2003
the programme joins the USA, Japan, ECORD, China (April 2004), South Korea (June
2006), ANZIC (Australia-New-Zealand IODP Consortium), India (April 2009) and Brazil
(August 2012).

From 1968 the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) and later, from 1985 to 2003, the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) have undertaken an unprecedented programme of international research in Earth science. Jointly to USA and Japan, Europe and Canada have set up the shape a new era of research using scientific ocean drilling with the Initial Science Plan (ISP) for IODP: 'Earth, Oceans, and Life: Scientific Investigations of the Earth System using Multiple Drilling Platforms and New Technologies'. This science plan involves several types of platforms for advanced sampling of the ocean floor by drilling and provides a critically needed database for undertsanding the complex functioning of the Earth system.
Since 2012, the IODP new science plan covers all initiayives covered by the programme.

IODP structure

Funding: The programme is funded by 8 agencies.
Primary funding is provided by the US National Scence Foundation (NSF) and Japan's Ministry of Culture, Education, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT); additional funding is provided through the ECORD countributing member via EMA, and associate members, the People's Republic of China Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM), the Australia-New Zealand IODP Consortium (ANZIC), India's Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and Brazil (CAPES).

Management: The programme is managed by IODP Management International Inc. (IODP-MI). Working as a central management organisation with the Science Advisory Structure (SAS), IODP-MI develops and manages the implementation plans for the IODP science programme. SAS comprises 5 standing committees and panels and conducts the IODP scientific plannning such as the scientific evaluation, ranking and scheduling of the drilling proposals submitted to IODP-MI. Since January 2010, the IODP-MI Office is located at the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology (TUMST), Japan.

6 Program Member Offices (PMO) are responsible for IODP scientific planning and co-ordinate and support scientist participation in IODP. The offices work closely with the IODP Science Advisory Structure (SAS):

ESSAC (ECORD Science Support and Advisory Committee) for ECORD,
USSSP (US Science Support Program) for the U.S.A.,
J-DESC (Japan Drilling Earth Consortium) for Japan,
IODP-China for People's Republic of China,
K-IODP (Korea Integrated Ocean Drilling Program) for South Korea,
ANZIC for Australia and New Zealand,
IODP India for India

3 Implementing Organizations (IOs) undertake science operations of the platforms:

ESO-ECORD Science Operator, for Mission-specific platforms (MSPs)
IODP-USIO, comprising the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, Texas A&M University (TAMU), and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, for the JOIDES Resolution,
CDEX-Centre of Deep Earth Exploration for the Chikyu.

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