The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, IODP is an international scientific research endeavor scheduled to begin in 2003. IODP is expected to build upon the legacies of the early ocean drilling voyages of the Cuss 1 in 1961, the Deep Sea Drilling Project, DSDP(1968-1983) and the Ocean Drilling Program, ODP(1983-2003). The past and present programs have demonstrated significant achievements on verification of the plate tectonics theory, chronicling of past climate change in Cretaceous period; greenhouse era of 100 million years ago and many other discoveries in earth science.
Although the current drilling program, ODP, is scheduled to end in 2003, members of the international scientific community, recognizing the great and continued importance of the endeavor, have joined together in a concerted effort to plan and implement IODP as a successor program.