The oceans have 80% of Earth’s living organisms

The Marine Science Co-ordination Committee (MSCC) is composed of senior representatives of the major marine science funding Departments, the Devolved Administrations, the key marine science providers and four independent members.  Established in 2008, in response to a House of Commons Science and Technology Committee Report, ‘Investigating the Oceans’, it reports directly to a group of Ministers, chaired by the UK Marine Science Minister. It is the successor body to the Inter-Agency Committee on Marine Science and Technology (IACMST).

The MSCC has two main responsibilities: to deliver the UK Marine Science Strategy; and to improve UK marine science co-ordination. The MSCC published the first UK Marine Science Strategy in February 2010.  It is a 15 year Strategy and was developed with significant input from the UK marine science community.  It sets the general direction of travel for future marine science across the UK for the period 2010 to 2025.

In  order to save public money, the MSCC webpages are hosted on one of its members’ sites – Defra.

Latest news

• The UK Marine Research Vessels assessment is now available
• The marine science needs and capabilities study is now available.
• The next MSCC meeting has been arranged for Thursday12 September 2013 in Belfast.
• Minutes available for MSCC meeting September 2012.
• MSCC meeting March 2013: Agenda, Update report and Annex for MSCC and UKMMAS, JPI Oceans presentation, New approaches to monitoring presentation.
• The Ministerial Marine Science Group report 2012  outlines progress with the work of the MSCC and its delivery of the UK Marine Science Strategy, since the Strategy’s publication in February 2010.