Frequently Asked Questions
About AVAST: Mission, Scope, & Vision
AVAST is WHOI's new initiative to accelerate innovation and improve collisions in ocean research, design, and education. AVAST provides a framework of training, funding, and other resources to build greater capacity for WHOI staff to develop programs and projects that are difficult to do with existing infrastructure. Part of this framework is a physical space where AVAST can foster research collisions and technical collaborations (the AVAST Innovation Hub).
Although AVAST takes its name from "Autonomous Vehicle and Sensor Technologies", these embrace only part of the spectrum of new projects and programs that AVAST supports at WHOI.
For most WHOI projects, there is no fee to use AVAST resources beyond consumable costs. In return, WHOI staff and students are expected to contribute to AVAST's wider mission and goals through participation, activities, and collisions. AVAST will work with larger projects or programs that absorb significant AVAST resources to identify appropriate cost-recovery strategies.
The vision for AVAST is to support a very broad range of ocean research, development, and education. Of particular interest are the types of projects and use cases that WHOI can't support currently with its existing facilities, spaces, and resources. AVAST does not consider technical merit when approving Use Requests.
Core principles for AVAST include the following:
- Fostering new, innovative, collaborative projects within WHOI that we couldn't otherwise pursue.
- Supporting a wide range of WHOI users and activities, broadly across the Institution.
- Disseminating WHOI-grown advances back into WHOI for wider community benefit.
AVAST has a role in DE&I at WHOI, especially in engineering & technical areas where diversity and inclusion remain low. AVAST also strongly encourages proposals for education & outreach including classes, workshops, seminars, and training. AVAST's social hub space can be configured for many types of use.
Engaging with AVAST
AVAST is an active research space and generally speaking is not open for public tours or visits.
AVAST resources are not generally available for use other than in WHOI-sponsored research and contracts. AVAST can support any existing WHOI project that involves an industry collaboration aligned with AVAST's mission at WHOI. AVAST also can help WHOI staff launch new WHOI partnerships with industry that are formally approved by WHOI.
Leveraging AVAST for any commercially-oriented venture will usually require an initial dialogue with WHOI's Office of Technology Transfer.
AVAST can potentially be conduit for companies and other organizations in the ocean technology space to introduce themselves to WHOI. To start this process, send an email to avast@whoi.edu that introduces your company/organization and outlines your interest in connecting with WHOI. AVAST will forward your inquiry as appropriate within the WHOI community.