Ifremer establishes the Neptune endowment fund: a new impetus for ocean exploration and understanding 
 
Ifremer has taken a major step forward by creating the Neptune Endowment Fund, a legal and financial instrument designed to support the implementation of Mission Neptune, an international initiative launched during the Third United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice in June 2025. This fund published in the Official Journal on July 2, 2026, this endowment fund aims to mobilize private and philanthropic funding to accelerate the exploration, observation, and scientific understanding of the ocean, working toward of its protection, sustainable management, and governance.

A NEW TOOL IN THE SERVICE OF THE PUBLIC INTEREST

Given the major challenges facing the ocean, the Neptune endowment fund shall support:

• international ocean exploration and observation expeditions identified as “Mission Neptune,” with the data collected to be shared with the scientific community;
• international scientific programs and initiatives—notably the Neptune Fellows and Neptune Chairs—designed to support a new generation of researchers;
• technologies, infrastructure, and international collaborations that promote knowledge sharing regarding the deep ocean;
• international forums, scientific and cultural outreach initiatives, and efforts to bring together science, public policymakers, economic stakeholders, and citizens.

Catherine Chabaud, Minister for the Sea and Fisheries: “With Mission Neptune , launched at UNOC3, France is establishing itself as a global leader in ocean scientific cooperation. By creating this dedicated endowment fund, our country is providing a mechanism to bring together existing resources in a coordinated and innovative approach. While we know more about the Moon than we do about the ocean depths, this initiative allows us to unite our scientific forces—both national and international—and to make France a pillar of ocean protection, our common good.”

François Houllier, President and CEO of Ifremer and Co-Chair of the Neptune endowment fund: “Knowledge is the foundation of effective public action. By providing Mission Neptune with a sustainable funding mechanism, we are creating the conditions for international effort able to accelerate ocean exploration, share knowledge, and better inform decisions to preserve our oceans.”

Mission Neptune combines exploration, observation, science, culture, economics, and governance to transform ocean knowledge into collective action. It is part of the operational deployment of OceanEye, within the framework of the European Pact for the Ocean, in partnership with the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS, IOC-UNESCO) and the Digital Twin of the Ocean developed by Mercator Ocean International.

Read the full press release in PDF above or on ifremer.fr/en 

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