(Please post on MARMAM when possible). Many in the bio-acoustics community have heard that a new research effort has begun in underwater acoustics called the "Joint Industry Programme on Sound and Marine Life". It is funded by several oil- and gas-producing companies and supports research on the sounds produced by offshore industry operations, their possible effects on marine animals, and mitigation measures. The purpose of this posting is to announce the opening this week of our website located at www.soundandmarinelife.org. This site is intended for the research comunity. It contains all the information an applicant for research support would need, from the program's history and objectives to its policies on animal care and publication, plus application procedures. The fund presently stands at about $8 million per year and is open to researchers in any part of the world. Proposals are selected following the practices used by public funding agencies. Our goal is to produce high quality research papers in peer-r eviewed journals. To contact the program directly please write to info@soundandmarinelife.org. Thank you. Roger L. Gentry, Ph. D., Program Manager Roger.gentry@comcast.net