Southampton-based National Oceanography Centre (NOC) has renewed its partnership with the Royal Navy.

The memorandum of understanding (MOU) focuses on advancing marine science and technology, particularly in autonomous and robotic underwater systems.

The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) is also part of this collaboration.

This agreement aims to boost the UK's leadership in marine science and technology, with support from NOC Innovations, the applied research and commercialisation arm of NOC.

A ceremonial signing took place during the Ocean Business conference and exhibition at NOC in April.

NOC chief executive Dr John Siddorn said: "This agreement reflects our mutual dedication to harnessing cutting-edge autonomous technology for the benefit of marine science, industry, and national security.

"NOC Innovations is proud to continue supporting the Royal Navy in its efforts with our world-leading expertise in marine science and autonomy."

The Royal Navy's captain Jim Lovell, head of underwater battlespace capability, said: "This MOU renewal cements our strong partnership with NOC, allowing us to explore new technological frontiers in autonomy that will help to modernise our operations and ensure that the operational decisions we make are based on the most up-to-date environmental data.

"The partnership will also support the Royal Navy’s training and operational readiness, leveraging NOC’s expertise in deploying autonomous platforms."

Dstl’s chief executive Dr Paul Hollinshead said: "The partnership with NOC and the Royal Navy demonstrates our commitment to collaborative development of autonomous maritime capabilities.

"By combining Dstl's scientific expertise with NOC's marine autonomy knowledge, we're accelerating the development of underwater technologies that provide clear operational advantage for UK defence.

"Together, we're strengthening the UK's position at the forefront of sustainable oceanographic science and technology and ensuring our armed forces have access to the most advanced autonomous systems and environmental data for effective decision-making in complex maritime environments."

Since the first MOU was signed in 2014 and subsequently renewed in 2021, the collaboration has supported several initiatives helping the UK expand its ability to develop ocean solutions and conduct advanced marine scientific research.