Our Partners

Great Lakes

The Inner Space Center supports the NOAA Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute expeditions with NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries aimed at surveying underwater cultural heritage and lake ecology. The ISC supports these initiatives through:

MDBC

The URI Inner Space Center (ISC) supports the NOAA Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities (MDBC) program—a major deep-sea coral habitat restoration initiative in the Gulf of America—by providing telepresence systems and engineering support and science communication expertise. Operating through the NOAA Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute (OECI), the ISC’s involvement focuses on two main pillars:

NOAA Ocean Exploration

The URI Inner Space Center (ISC) supports the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer through telepresence, data distribution, video and live-streaming services. Since 2009, the ISC has managed the technical architecture that allows the ship to operate as a telepresence-enabled exploration platform. In 2025 the ISC started operating the shipboard network, data, and video systems through the […]

Ocean Exploration Trust

The URI Inner Space Center (ISC) is part of the Ocean Exploration Trust’s (OET) E/V Nautilus operational infrastructure. Support is provided through six core functions:

RCRVS

The Inner Space Center supports the academic research fleet through providing and supporting advanced telepresence by request. In particular, ISC provided shipboard technologies and shoreside expertise for R/V Endeavor during its active career by serving as its primary telepresence and live-streaming hub. The ISC integrated high-bandwidth satellite transmission and receiver equipment directly onto the vessel, […]

UCONN

The University of Connecticut (UConn) has a rich history of collaborating with the URI Inner Space Center through joint initiatives focused on marine science education, workforce development, and ocean exploration technology. A primary cornerstone of this relationship was the National Science Foundation-funded Marine Technology for Teachers and Students (MaTTS) Project, a three-year collaborative effort between […]