Jacksonville University, OCEARCH receive $5 million from State of Florida for research HQ in Mayport

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville University and its research partner, OCEARCH, announced receiving $5 million of funding for a new facility from the State of Florida.

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The money will be used to construct the OCEARCH Global Headquarters in Mayport.

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Located on 1.18 acres of waterfront property at the mouth of the St. Johns River, the facility will serve as the hub for OCEARCH’s collaborative research efforts, experiential education programs and boating operations.

JU and OCEARCH are expected to break ground on the project by 2024.

“Right now, and for many years to come, Jacksonville University believes exploration, education and scientific discovery are the key ingredients to achieving real progress in tackling massive challenges of our time, such as climate change and healthy oceans,” Jacksonville University President Tim Cost said. “For the past two years, Jacksonville University and OCEARCH have been working with the City of Jacksonville, Mayport community groups and our local delegation on this important project, and we are honored to receive this generous support from the state to advance our plans.”

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The OCEARCH Global Headquarters will consist of spaces for public education and meetings. OCEARCH ships will operate out of the facility and dockage for various research vessels will be available. A state-of-the-art marine life research laboratory and basic housing for researchers and crew members will also be part of the facility.

A concrete dock funded by the City of Jacksonville is currently under construction at the site.

The facility plans to host visitors from around the world by offering interactive and educational community programming, especially for young, aspiring scientists.

“Our goal is to educate visitors on why marine organisms, including sharks, are so important for the health of the world’s oceans and for our global climate, while also promoting more data-centric public policy at the state and federal level,” Dr. Quint White, executive director of Jacksonville University’s Marine Science Research Institute, said. “On a deeper level, we also want to inspire the next generation of scientists to continue exploring and discovering our vast oceans.”

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Since 2017, Jacksonville University has served as the academic home of OCEARCH, the world’s largest shark-tagging and oceanic research organization. To date, OCEARCH has conducted 45 ocean research expeditions, helping advance research projects involving more than a dozen public and private institutions in Florida.

The expeditions have resulted in more than 80 peer-reviewed scientific publications, including one of the largest studies ever published on white sharks, authored by Jacksonville University researcher Dr. Bryan Franks and his OCEARCH colleagues. Jacksonville University students and faculty have joined OCEARCH and its coalition of independent scientists on 11 research expeditions.

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OCEARCH is committed to lifelong education and ocean literacy through its K-12 STEM curriculum, internship opportunities, graduate and postdoctoral student research, ship tours, community programming and the free Global Shark Tracker® and app. 

For more information, visit www.ju.edu/ocearch or OCEARCH.org.