CSIRO Marine National Facility
Government, Research and Education Organisations
Toni Moate
The Marine National Facility (MNF) is national collaborative research infrastructure funded by the Australian Government and operated by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, on behalf of the nation. Created in 1984, the MNF is a key element of Australia’s research infrastructure and comprises:
- the advanced ocean-class research vessel, RV Investigator
- a suite of scientific equipment and instrumentation
- a publicly accessible repository of more than 40 years of marine data
- expertise in the planning and delivery of multidisciplinary research voyages.
RV Investigator offers Australian researchers and their international collaborators the capability to conduct marine and atmospheric research anywhere in our region. This impressive 94-metre vessel can take collaborative teams of up to 40 researchers on voyages of discovery from the Antarctic ice edge to the topics. It has been designed to deliver up to 300 research days per year and can stay at sea for up to 60 days, travelling up to 10,000 nautical miles per voyage.
Access to sea time on RV Investigator is provided through grants of sea time awarded through a competitive application process based on criteria of research quality and national benefit.
The MNF is based at the CSIRO Marine Laboratories in Hobart, Tasmania.
