University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology

Higher Education and Scientific Researchsoest.hawaii.edu

SOEST is a public university research school at the University of Hawaii at Manoa conducting ocean, earth, atmospheric, and space science research across nine research centers and four academic departments. It operates research vessels, submersibles, ocean observatories, and global sea-level monitoring stations, serving students, federal agencies, and Pacific communities through federal grant-funded research and education.

Company typePublic
Founded1977
HeadquartersHonolulu, United States
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2B and B2C
OfferingServices

What University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology does

The School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) is a research and educational institution within the University of Hawaii at Manoa, a public state university in Honolulu. Organized as a platform of nine research centers, four academic departments, and specialized facilities, SOEST conducts research and instruction across oceanography, atmospheric sciences, geology, geophysics, planetology, marine biology, and energy sciences. Its organized research units include the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research (CIMAR), International Pacific Research Center (IPRC), Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (CMORE), Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB), Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP), Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI), Pacific Biosciences Research Center (PBRC), UH Sea Grant College Program, and the Waikīkī Aquarium. Academic departments cover Atmospheric Sciences, Earth Sciences, Ocean and Resources Engineering, and Oceanography.

SOEST operates distinctive Pacific-region infrastructure including research vessels R/V Kilo Moana (SWATH design) and R/V Ka'imikai-o-Kanaloa, Pisces IV and V submersibles, ocean observatories, and field stations across Hawaii. The Asia-Pacific Data-Research Center (APDRC) and the UH Sea Level Center, which maintains over 90 real-time monitoring stations globally, provide climate and ocean data products to the Asia-Pacific region. Operational tools include the Hawaii Cesspool Prioritization Tool (tracking 83,000+ cesspools) supporting state policy mandates.

As a public university school, SOEST does not operate on a commercial revenue model. Funding flows from federal grants (NOAA, NSF, NASA, Office of Naval Research), state appropriations through the University of Hawaii system, and private donations. Its primary customer segments are university students (graduate and undergraduate degree programs), federal and state government agencies (NOAA research initiatives, Pacific Islands climate monitoring, coral reef assessment), and the general public (K-12 education, public outreach, aquarium operations). The institution serves as NOAA's formally designated cooperative institute for the Pacific Islands region via CIMAR, established in 1977, and maintains strategic international partnerships with JAMSTEC and Tohoku University for Asia-Pacific climate research.

University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology firmographics

Firmographics

Name: University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology
Legal name: School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawai'i at Manoa
Website: https://soest.hawaii.edu
Company type: Public
Founded year: 1977
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: SOEST is a public university research school at the University of Hawaii at Manoa conducting ocean, earth, atmospheric, and space science research across nine research centers and four academic departments. It operates research vessels, submersibles, ocean observatories, and global sea-level monitoring stations, serving students, federal agencies, and Pacific communities through federal grant-funded research and education.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology industry classification

Industry

Product category: Higher Education and Scientific Research
NAICS: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Space Research and Technology (92711)
SIC: Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
akta.pro primary industry: Earth Science & Geoscience Programs (EDAMABAI)

Keywords

Ocean science research
Marine biology research
Atmospheric sciences research
Climate research services
Earth science education

Where University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Honolulu
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B and B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology product offering

Product offering

Core offering

SOEST conducts multi-disciplinary research and graduate education across ocean, earth, atmospheric, climate, energy, and space sciences, operating specialized research infrastructure including ocean-going vessels, submersibles, ocean observatories, and field stations. It delivers academic degree programs through four departments, performs sponsored research for federal agencies, and provides public marine education through the Waikīkī Aquarium, Sea Grant extension services, and K-12 outreach programs.

Product overview

SOEST is a research and educational institution organized as a platform of multiple research centers, academic departments, and specialized facilities rather than a single product. The core offerings include seven research themes (Ocean, Life, Climate, Energy, Atmosphere, Earth, Space), four academic departments (Atmospheric Sciences, Earth Sciences, Ocean & Resources Engineering, Oceanography), nine organized research units (including CMORE, CIMAR, HIGP, HIMB, HNEI, IPRC, PBRC, UH Sea Grant, Waikīkī Aquarium), and specialized facilities (research vessels, ocean observatories, field stations). Hawaii Sea Grant operates as a sub-program with Centers of Excellence and publications like Ka Pili Kai magazine. Research tools include the Hawai'i Cesspool Prioritization Tool and the Asia-Pacific Data-Research Center for climate data.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

Hawaii Sea Grant: Coastal and marine resources research, education, and extension services
Ka Pili Kai
Voice of the Sea

Products and services

Department of Atmospheric Sciences
Department of Earth Sciences
Department of Ocean & Resources Engineering
Department of Oceanography
Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research (CIMAR)
Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP)
Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB)
Hawai'i Natural Energy Institute (HNEI)
International Pacific Research Center (IPRC)
Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research & Education (CMORE)

Quantifiable outcome

Hawaii designated as hub for ocean innovation and stewardship through Governor's bill
+1 more outcomes

Companies that use University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology

Customer profile

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1977CIMAR (formerly JIMAR) was created in 1977 under a Memorandum of Understanding between NOAA and UH Manoa. Since 1988, CIMAR has been part of SOEST and serves as NOAA's cooperative institute for the Pacific Islands region, facilitating collaborative research and transitioning research outcomes to operational products.
Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research collaboration through the International Pacific Research Center (IPRC), fostering climate research for the Asia-Pacific region with shared data and research initiatives.
Tohoku University & JAMSTEC AIMECminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through WPI-AIMEC (Arctic Research and Development for Climate Interaction) supporting international climate research collaboration.
NOAA Sea Grant College ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHawaii Sea Grant College Program operates under the National Sea Grant program, engaging in research, education, and extension services for coastal and marine resources.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute: MBARI is a private oceanographic research institute focused on deep-sea science, autonomous platforms, and ocean instrumentation — overlapping with SOEST in marine biology, ocean observatories, and instrument development.
MIT Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences: MIT EAPS combines earth, atmospheric, and planetary science research and graduate education — comparable to SOEST's HIGP, atmospheric sciences, and planetary science programs, and similarly a top federal-grant-funded unit.
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory: Lamont-Doherty at Columbia is a major earth and ocean science research unit within a private university, operating research vessels, seismology, and climate programs — closely aligned with SOEST's earth and atmospheric science portfolio.
University of Washington School of Oceanography: UW School of Oceanography is a public university school offering graduate and undergraduate oceanography programs and operating regional ocean research — directly comparable to SOEST's Department of Oceanography and ocean observatories.
Oregon State University College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences: CEOAS is a public university college combining earth, ocean, and atmospheric sciences with research vessel operations (e.g., R/V Taani) — structurally similar to SOEST as a school within a public land-grant university.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: WHOI is the largest private U.S. oceanographic research institution, operating research vessels, submersibles (Alvin), and ocean observatories across ocean, climate, and marine biology programs — directly comparable in mission, infrastructure, and federal funding model to SOEST.
Scripps Institution of Oceanography: Scripps at UC San Diego is a peer oceanographic research and graduate-education institution operating research vessels, climate programs, and marine biology research — directly comparable in academic structure and federal partnership model to SOEST.

Emerging players

Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences: Bigelow Laboratory is an independent ocean research institute focused on microbial oceanography and ocean health — overlapping with SOEST's CMORE microbial oceanography program and HIMB marine biology work.
Schmidt Ocean Institute: Schmidt Ocean Institute operates the R/V Falkor and supports open-access oceanographic research — a peer operator of blue-water research vessels serving similar Pacific science communities as SOEST's fleet.

Broad incumbents

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: NOAA is SOEST's primary federal partner and operates its own ocean and atmospheric research programs (including OAR labs and the cooperative institute network) — comparable as a broader incumbent funding and operational counterpart rather than a competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology subsidiaries and ownership

Company hierarchy

Subsidiaries9 records

University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology

What does University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology do?

Is University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology a public or private company?

University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology is a public company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.

When was University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology founded?

University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology was founded in 1977. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology based?

University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology is headquartered in Honolulu, United States, in the North America region.

Who are University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, MIT Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, University of Washington School of Oceanography, Oregon State University College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Emerging players are Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and Schmidt Ocean Institute. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is listed as a broad incumbent.

Does University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology have an API?

No public API is recorded for University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology.

What industry is University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology in?

University of Hawaii at Manoa - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology's product category is Higher Education and Scientific Research. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMABAI, Earth Science & Geoscience Programs. Its NAICS code is 6113 and its SIC code is 8200.