March, 2004

JAMSTEC DEEP-SEA RESEARCH OUTLINE FY2004

Four years ago, JAMSTEC inaugurated a fully open system that invites requests from scientists wishing to use JAMSTEC deep-sea research vessels. JAMSTEC has finished the selection of research themes for FY2004. Three third-party committees (Remark) evaluated those themes and planned the operation schedules of JAMSTEC research vessels. As a result of judgments by those committees, JAMSTEC vessel cruises in FY2004 are planned as attached summaries.

For your guidance, the qualifications for applicants are shown as follows:
- Researchers in Japan belonging to public and governmental research institutions and independent administrative research institutions
- Researchers and teaching staff in Japan belonging to universities and other educational institutions
- Researchers who belong to other institutions or overseas institutions, yet who can qualify as joint researchers with the two above-mentioned groups or with JAMSTEC itself

(Remark)
- Deep-sea Research Promotion Committee (Chairman: Professor Emeritus Kazuo Kobayashi of The University of Tokyo): supervises the entire public invitation process of deep-sea research themes by JAMSTEC
- Deep-sea Research Implementation Committee (Chairman: Professor Hiromi Fujimoto of Tohoku University): discusses basic methods, evaluates and judges the application research themes (marking scores on a 100-point full marking basis)
- Deep-sea Research Implementation Program Coordination Sub-Committee (Chairman: Professor Toshitaka Gamo of the Ocean Research Institute at The University of Tokyo): coordinates the planning of annual vessel operation schedules and the selection of research themes in light of the marks of themes given by the Implementation Committee mentioned above

ŚNames of the above committees are tentative ones.
Research Support Department
JAMSTEC