All IODP Proposal Deadlines Have Passed

Drilling Proposals

The International Ocean Discovery Program used the program's drilling platforms for hypothesis-driven science in line with the themes and challenges outlined in the program's Science Plan Illuminating Earth's Past, Present, and Future. Proposals frequently involve collaborations between international researchers from the multiple geoscience disciplines and the lead proponent need not be from an IODP member country. Because proposals did not result in a financial arrangement (contract) with the proponent's institution, they were submitted by the individual investigator and not through the investigator's institution.

A Call for Drilling Proposals wass agreed upon between the IODP Facility Boards and released by the IODP Science Support Office, usually for two proposal submission deadlines (April and October) per year. The deadline for submitting site data was one month after the proposal submission deadline. Proposed drill sites were be supported by site characterization data that built confidence that the targets were correctly identified, achievable, and safe.

Drilling proposals were peer-reviewed within the IODP framework by the Science Evaluation Panel (SEP) aided by anonymous external reviewers in a process facilitated by the Science Support Office. SEP typically met in January and June and reports containing the outcome of the review were sent to the lead proponent by the Science Support Office within one month of the panel meeting. 

At annual scheduling meetings, the IODP Facility Boards considered drilling proposals that had been forwarded by SEP. Once a proposal was with a Facility Board for consideration, the Board was allowed to ask for further refinements/changes or change the scope of a proposal to be compatible with the platform capability or operating budget. When a proposal was scheduled or close to being scheduled, the Facility Board requested a safety review by the Environmental Protection and Safety Panel or an equivalent panel. 

Proposals were developed into research expeditions by the platform science operator in accordance with the IODP Principles of Scientific Investigation. Detailed guidance on proposal contents is found in the IODP Drilling Proposal Submission Guidelines.

Ocean Drilling Legacy Assets Projects (LEAPs)

Ocean Drilling Legacy Assets Projects (LEAPs) were a new type of project for international and interdisciplinary collaborations under the umbrella of the scientific ocean drilling programs. LEAPs were standalone research endeavors that: (1) address at least one aspect of the 2050 Science Framework, and (2) have objectives that maximize the return on the legacy assets of current and past scientific ocean drilling programs without new drilling. Examples of legacy assets are cores, samples, data, open boreholes, and downhole observatories from current and past scientific ocean drilling programs.

The IODP Science Support Office released a Call for LEAP Proposals twice per year, with deadlines matching those for drilling proposals. Because proposals did not result in a financial arrangement (contract) with the proponent's institution, they were submitted by the individual investigator and not through the investigator's institution.

LEAP proposals were peer-reviewed within the IODP framework by the Science Evaluation Panel (SEP). SEP typically met in January and June and the outcome of the review was sent to the lead proponent by the IODP Science Support Office within one month of the panel meeting. Detailed guidance on proposal contents is found in the IODP LEAPs Proposal Submission Guidelines.