NERC is participating in the MERCES project via scientists at its National Oceanography Centre (NOC). NOC is one of six NERC centres and is the UK’s largest institution for integrated coastal and deep ocean research and technology development. The Centre addresses key science challenges, including measuring and modelling the oceans in an earth system context, marine ecosystem change, variability and coupling with the physical environment, and long-term monitoring technologies. NOC provides major facilities (including research vessels and instrumentation), programmes of sustained observing, survey, mapping, data management and other functions. Since 2007, NOC has been contracted to deliver 36 FP7 projects, including 13 Environment and 2 Ocean projects as well as being involved in Space, ICT and Infrastructure projects.