The Monterey Bay Crescent Ocean Research Consortium (MBCORC) was formed in 1998 when the Monterey Bay region hosted the country's first National Oceans Conference in Monterey.

The mission of MBCORC is to promote the scientific understanding of coastal and marine systems and to facilitate the application of that knowledge for public policy, environmental awareness, and decision-making. MBCORC achieves its objectives by creating, coordinating, promoting, and endorsing research, education, and outreach activities, using the Monterey Bay as a natural laboratory.

MBCORC member and affiliated organizations meet quarterly to exchange information, facilitate increased regional collaborations, and to highlight new opportunities for integrating scientific inquiry, emerging technologies, new training problems, and relevant policy debate on the marine environment.

For more information, see the MBCORC Web site.