Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies

What Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies does

The Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies (CICOES) is a university-hosted, non-profit research consortium that conducts multidisciplinary climate, ocean, and ecosystem research for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Established in May 2020 as a successor to the Joint Institute for the Study of Atmosphere and Ocean (JISAO), CICOES is operated as a partnership between the University of Washington (lead host), Oregon State University, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks, with co-located research activity at NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) and Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC). The institute's research portfolio spans three program areas—atmospheric/climate science, ocean sciences, and ecosystems/fisheries—delivered through peer-reviewed publications, public datasets, long-term observation networks, and training of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers.

CICOES's technical infrastructure includes autonomous ocean observation platforms (Saildrones, Seagliders, Wirewalkers), moored buoy networks such as the Gulf of Alaska Ocean Acidification (GAKOA) buoy and a globally distributed moored pCO2 observatory with more than 40 time series sites, passive acoustic monitoring systems for marine mammals in the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort seas, and environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling tools for species recovery tracking. The institute maintains multi-decadal datasets—including a 47-year Alaska Compendium of Ocean Profile Data (ACOD) released in 2026—and contributes data to international climate assessments such as IPCC reports and the Global Carbon Budget.

The institute does not sell products or services commercially. Its business model is grant-funded: a five-year, $300 million NOAA Cooperative Institute grant awarded in 2020 serves as the core funding mechanism, supplemented by additional federal research grants from NSF and other agencies awarded through investigator-led proposals. The institute runs educational pipelines including an REU internship program, graduate fellowships, and a postdoctoral program, and disseminates findings through an annual CICOES Magazine, the annual CICOES Symposium, and active social media channels.

Name

Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies

Legal name

Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies

Website

https://cicoes.uw.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies (CICOES) is a NOAA-funded non-profit research consortium of the University of Washington, Oregon State University, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks, conducting multidisciplinary climate, ocean, and ecosystem research and operating autonomous ocean observation networks for federal agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate and Ocean Research Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE), Remote Sensing & Geospatial MRV (Satellite, Aerial, LiDAR, SAR) (EUABACAF)

Keywords

• Climate research institute
• Ocean observation systems
• Ecosystems research
• Fisheries science research
• Atmospheric science research

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. NOAA Cooperative Institute Grant: Primary funding from NOAA cooperative institute grant. In May 2020, NOAA selected UW with UAF and OSU for a $300 million grant to establish a consortium for climate, ocean, and ecosystem research. This is the core funding mechanism supporting all research operations.
2. Federal Research Grants: Additional funding from NSF, NOAA programs, and other federal agencies through grant proposals submitted by Principal Investigators. Grants 101 program helps researchers prepare and administer grants.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CICOES conducts collaborative, multidisciplinary research across ocean, atmosphere, and fishery sciences through a consortium of three universities (University of Washington, Oregon State University, and University of Alaska Fairbanks) under a cooperative institute agreement with NOAA. It delivers peer-reviewed scientific publications, long-term oceanographic datasets, autonomous ocean observation infrastructure, and trained scientists through graduate fellowships, internships, and postdoctoral programs. Research outputs support NOAA's climate, ocean, and ecosystem missions, including contributions to international climate assessments such as IPCC reports and the Global Carbon Budget.

Product overview

CICOES is a consortium research institute — not a product company — comprising three university partners (University of Washington, Oregon State University, and University of Alaska Fairbanks) operating under a cooperative agreement with NOAA. Its research portfolio spans three primary programs: Atmospheric/Climate Sciences (covering Arctic circulation, carbon cycle, aerosols, and land-surface hydrology), Ocean Sciences (covering ocean circulation tracers, sea floor observations, tsunami modeling, Arctic observations, and ocean acidification), and Ecosystems/Fisheries (covering fish ecosystem management, marine mammals, and climate change impacts). CICOES also produces public datasets (notably the Alaska Compendium of Ocean Profile Data, ACOD), operates autonomous ocean observation platforms (Saildrones, Seagliders, Wirewalkers), deploys instrumented moorings such as the GAKOA buoy, and conducts passive acoustic monitoring for marine mammals and eDNA analysis for species recovery tracking. Educational offerings include undergraduate internships (REU), graduate fellowships, and a postdoctoral program. The institute publishes an annual CICOES Magazine and supports professional development through a $25K annual Professional Development Program. There is no commercial product or SaaS platform; all offerings are research programs, datasets, instruments, and educational pathways.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Climate Research (Atmospheric Sciences) Program Atmospheric research program covering Arctic circulation, climate variability, air-sea interaction, carbon cycle, aerosol science, and land-surface hydrology conducted across the consortium's three university partners for NOAA and federal agency customers.
• Ocean Sciences Research Program Ocean research program covering chemical tracers of ocean circulation, sea floor observations, coastal ocean observations, tsunami observations and modeling, innovative Arctic and north Pacific observations, and ocean acidification studies.
• Ecosystems and Fisheries Research Program Research program covering fish ecosystem studies and management, J-SCOPE, ocean acidification, ocean climate variability, climate change impacts, and marine mammals research.
• Education Programs (Internships, Graduate Fellowships, Postdoctoral Program) Educational pathways including the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), Graduate Student Fellowships, and a Postdoctoral Program connecting students with NOAA and consortium scientists across climate, ocean, and ecosystem research.
• Alaska Compendium of Ocean Profile Data (ACOD) A public dataset compiling 47 years of hydrographic and nutrient sampling data into a single accessible product, designed to support climate research, ecosystem modeling, and machine-learning applications for researchers and data scientists.
• CICOES Magazine Annual publication summarizing the institute's activities, profiling employees, and highlighting recent research efforts across the consortium; available in print and digital PDF formats.

Quantifiable outcome

• Alaska Compendium provides single-point access to 47 years of hydrographic and nutrient data supporting climate research and ecosystem modeling
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of WashingtoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary host institution for CICOES. Located at UW College of the Environment, CICOES serves as a key research institute within the UW network alongside Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, Atmospheric and Climate Science, Oceanography, and other environmental programs.
• Oregon State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university in the NOAA Cooperative Institute consortium, contributing expertise in fisheries oceanography and ecosystem research. OSU brings additional research capacity and collaborative opportunities to the consortium.
• University of Alaska FairbankscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university in the consortium, contributing expertise in Arctic and polar research. UAF adds critical Arctic research capabilities and field deployment infrastructure including R/V Sikuliaq and R/V Nanuq vessels.
• NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary NOAA laboratory partner. Many CICOES researchers work directly with PMEL scientists on oceanography, carbon cycle, and atmospheric research projects. PMEL is co-located in Seattle near CICOES headquarters.
• NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary NOAA laboratory partner for fisheries and marine mammal research. CICOES researchers support AFSC programs including Marine Mammal Laboratory, EcoFOCI, and ecosystem assessments.
• NOAA FisheriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency partner for marine resource management and conservation. CICOES supports NOAA Fisheries through stock assessments, marine mammal research, and ecosystem monitoring in Alaskan waters.
• Marine Ecology and Telemetry ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit organization collaborating with CICOES researchers on marine mammal research, including whale tracking and conservation studies.
• Instituto AqualieminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrazilian nonprofit collaborating with CICOES researchers on marine mammal research and conservation.
• University of PretoriaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth African university collaborating with CICOES on whale research and marine conservation studies.
• Schmidt Ocean InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit research vessel operator. CICOES researcher David Butterfield led hydrothermal vent discovery expedition using Schmidt Ocean Institute's R/V Falkor (too).
• SRI InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch institute collaborating with UW researchers on Marine Cloud Brightening Program - testing climate intervention concepts for reflecting sunlight.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory: Lamont-Doherty at Columbia University is a leading Earth science research institution covering climate, ocean, and geophysical sciences. It is directly comparable to CICOES for interdisciplinary climate and ocean research with significant government grant funding.
• Scripps Institution of Oceanography: Scripps at UC San Diego is a premier oceanographic research institution with long-term atmospheric and ocean monitoring programs (e.g., CO2 program). It is directly comparable to CICOES for climate monitoring, ocean acidification research, and atmospheric science.
• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI): WHOI is the largest independent oceanographic research institution in the US, conducting ocean, climate, and marine ecosystem research. It is directly comparable to CICOES for ocean observation systems, moored buoy networks, and marine ecosystem research.
• CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences): CIRES is a NOAA Cooperative Institute hosted by the University of Colorado Boulder, conducting interdisciplinary Earth system research. It is directly comparable to CICOES in structure, funding model, and NOAA research mandate across climate, atmospheric, and oceanic sciences.
• CIMSS (Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies): CIMSS at UW-Madison is a NOAA Cooperative Institute focused on satellite meteorology and atmospheric science. It is directly comparable to CICOES in cooperative institute structure and NOAA-funded atmospheric and remote sensing research.
• Princeton Cooperative Institute for Climate Science (CICS): CICS is a NOAA Cooperative Institute at Princeton University focused on climate modeling and Earth system science. It is directly comparable to CICOES for cooperative institute model and climate science research funded by NOAA.

Others

• Schmidt Ocean Institute: Schmidt Ocean Institute operates research vessels and supports oceanographic research partnerships. It is comparable to CICOES as an adjacent ecosystem participant enabling ocean research, including joint expeditions with CICOES researchers.
• NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL): PMEL is a key NOAA research laboratory partner of CICOES focused on ocean, atmosphere, and climate research. It is comparable in research mission (ocean acidification, carbon cycle, atmospheric science) but is a federal government lab rather than a research institute.

Broad incumbents

• National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR): NCAR is a federally funded research and development center for atmospheric and Earth system science, sponsored by NSF. It is comparable to CICOES for climate modeling, atmospheric research, and contribution to IPCC assessments, but operates at a much broader national scale.

Regional players

• International Arctic Research Center (IARC): IARC at the University of Alaska Fairbanks conducts Arctic climate and environmental research. It is comparable to CICOES for Arctic research activities and shares the UAF institutional partner with CICOES.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CICOESresearch
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCZRwp2secma3KjzL-Io_pqg
• Facebookfacebook.com/JISAO-134457109912669
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cicoes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies