Mission Neptune

Mission Statement

Mission Neptune connects exploration, observation, science, culture, economy and governance to turn ocean knowledge into collective action.

Why Mission Neptune?

The Ocean regulates climate, sustains life and underpins global circulation, from biodiversity to trade, energy and data. Yet our capacity to understand and govern it together remains fragmented.

With the entry into force of the landmark High Seas Agreement (BBNJ Treaty), a new era begins. An era that calls not only for protection, but for organization: of knowledge through exploration and fundamental research, of innovation, of observation and of common action.

At the same time, the Ocean is becoming a planetary data system, driven by satellites, sensors, artificial intelligence and digital twins. Science and technology are advancing rapidly, yet remain insufficiently connected to collective decision-making.

To close this gap, Mission Neptune was launched at the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice (June 2025), under the high patronage of the President of the French Republic, in support of the European Ocean Pact. At the crossroads of science, diplomacy, economics and culture, it brings together those shaping the future of the Ocean.

By linking exploration, observation and science to governance, it transforms fragmented knowledge into coordinated action.

Explore, understand, share, act: the four pillars of Mission Neptune

01.
NEPTUNE EXPEDITIONS
Exploring the unknown Ocean through a new alliance between science, exploration and shared data.
02.
NEPTUNE FELLOWS
Bringing forward a new generation of oceanographers, at the crossroads of science and policy.
03.
NEPTUNE FORUM
What if the future of the world also lay in the Ocean? Bringing together those who explore and imagine the blue planet of the 21st century.
04.
NEPTUNE EXPLORERS GALLERIES
Open to the widest audience, the Neptune Explorers Galleries offer immersive experiences blending exploration, storytelling, images and engagement around the Ocean.

A global programme for the Ocean: from discovery to decision

Mission Neptune operates as an integrated platform at the crossroads of ocean exploration, science, technology and governance. It pools scientific programmes, research fleets, data infrastructures and outreach capabilities to accelerate knowledge and international cooperation.

A global exploration and cooperation programme, it supports large-scale ocean expeditions — from the surface to the deep sea — while supporting a new generation of researchers through the Neptune Fellows and the Neptune Academic Chairs. Structured around eight priority scientific challenges — deep biodiversity, seamounts, blue carbon, marine genetic resources, digital twins, polar regions and upwelling systems — the Mission contributes to the implementation of the BBNJ Agreement and to the development of new marine protected areas on the high seas.

Mission Neptune is also embedded in the strategic Ocean–Space nexus, where the convergence of satellites, autonomous sensors and advanced modelling is transforming our capacity to observe, forecast and govern the Earth system.

It translates knowledge into collective intelligence through the annual Neptune Forum and engages the public through the Neptune Explorers Galleries, the Explorers Domes and the Neptune Explorers Cinema deployed worldwide.

Alongside these pillars, Neptune Communities brings together sailors, explorers and scientists to generate new narratives and new horizons.

In articulation with international and European frameworks, Mission Neptune connects, from discovery to decision, shared knowledge to the future governance of the Ocean.

Governance

High patronage

Under the high patronage of the President of the French Republic and the President of the European Commission, as part of the European Ocean Pact.

Founding Patrons

S.A. Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi
Emir of Sharjah
Andrew Forrest
Founder and Chair of Minderoo Foundation
Founder and Chair of Voice of the Ocean
Chavalit Frederick Tsao
Founder and Chair of Tsao Pao Chee Group
Founder of Focused on Nature
Ray Dalio
Founder of Dalio Philanthropies and OceanX
Founder of Mission Blue

Board of Trustees

Co-chairs of the Board of Trustees and Executive Direction

Co-chair
Co-chair
Secretary-General

Co-chairs of the Scientific Council

Co-chair
Co-chair
Scientific director

Other members of the Scientific Council

Jerome Aucan
SPC (New Caledonia)
Chris Bowler
École Normale Supérieure (France)
Amelia Bridges
Sharjah Marine Science Research Center (United Arab Emirates)
Sabine Gollner
NIOZ (Netherlands)
Annette Govindarajan
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (United States)
Lionel Guidi
CNRS (France)
Vanessa Lucieer
University of Tasmania (Australia)
Xiamen University (China)
Tamaryn Morris
SAEON (South Africa)
Global Ocean Observing System (IOC-WMO UN)
Alex Rogers
National Oceanography Centre (United Kingdom)
Sylvia Sander
GEOMAR (Germany)
Yui Takeshita
MBARI (United States)
Alexander Turra
University of São Paulo (Brazil)
Fengping Wang
Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China)

Neptune Fellows

(Canada) — Marine genetic biologist — Neptune Fellow: Ocean Abundance (Scripps)

(France) — Biogeochemical oceanographer — Neptune Fellow: Polar Oceans

(Brazil) — Benthic biology and ecology — Neptune Fellow: Hydrothermal vents (MBARI)

(United States, Switzerland) — Chemical oceanographer — Neptune Fellow: Blue Carbon Sinks (MBARI)

Team / Mission Neptune Secretariat-General

Teodora Stojilkovic, Public Policy Officer ; Daria Kisseleva, Communications Officer ; Anne-Sophie Le Pivain, Production Officer

Founding Partners of Mission Neptune

Mission Partners

Global Ocean Partners

Mission Neptune supports the operational deployment of OceanEye, within the European Ocean Pact, in partnership with GOOS and Mercator Ocean International.