The University of Hawaii will take the lead on a global oceanographic research proj­ect that comes with $40 million in funding — representing the largest-ever philanthropic gift to the university.

David Karl and Edward DeLong, professors in UH-Manoa’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, were awarded the funds by the Simons Foundation to lead the newly launched Simons Collaboration on Ocean Processes and Ecology, or SCOPE.

The New York City-based foundation is run by Jim Simons, mathematician and billionaire founder of Renaissance Technologies, with a mission to advance the frontiers of research in mathematics and the basic sciences.

The five-year project aims to advance understanding of the microscopic organisms that inhabit every drop of seawater and how those microorganisms control the movement and exchange of energy and nutrients. (Microorganisms in the sea are responsible for a host of activities, including producing oxygen, forming the base of the food web for fisheries worldwide, and breaking down human-produced pollutants.)

In announcing the award, the Simons Foundation said on its website that "the purpose of SCOPE, based at the University of Hawaii, is to advance our understanding of the biology, ecology and biogeochemistry of microbial processes that dominate Earth’s largest biome: the global ocean."

Karl and DeLong serve as co-directors of SCOPE, with collaborators signed on from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, the University of Cali­for­nia-Santa Cruz and the University of Washington.

Researchers will conduct experiments at a field site about 60 miles off Oahu’s North Shore which is representative of a large portion of the North Pacific Ocean.

"This award will allow us to continue ongoing research at Station ALOHA, a site 100 kilometers due north of Kahuku Point, where since 1988 the University of Hawaii has been conducting major research operations," Karl said at a press conference Monday at the UH Marine Center alongside the 186-foot Kilo Moana research vessel used to carry out the work.

This year marks 26 years since UH established Station ALOHA ("A Long-term Oligo­trophic Habitat Assessment") in a 6-mile-radius circle in the ocean. Over the years it’s produced an invaluable rec­ord of the chemistry and biology found at a typical deep spot in the subtropical North Pacific.

"We have really put Hawaii on the map — the map of the ocean — and Station ALOHA is a place where colleagues come from around the world to do research and to make discovery," Karl said.

DeLong said research done at the field site will have global implications.

"Most of the organisms we’re studying were only discovered about 20 years ago, and that’s one of the reasons for this proj­ect, really, is to dig deep into what makes these organisms tick and how they operate together to sustain the ecosystem out at Station ALOHA," DeLong said. "And by understanding how this piece of the ocean works, in a very detailed way what sustains the ecosystem, we’ll learn more about the global oceans worldwide."

He said the work will involve cutting-edge technologies.

"We’re going to use a lot of different technologies to bring to bear on this question, and that ranges from automated robots that can sample and sense autonomously — you could think of them as peaceful underwater drones — as well as genomic technologies," DeLong said.

The award will be given over five years, with the first $8 million installment expected July 1, Karl said.

"Forty million (dollars) is a large program. Today we have nothing. July 1 we’ll have $8 million. We need to get going right away," he said. "They’re investing in us for five years to see what we can do, and we have to perform. We’re hopeful this is just an initial five years."

One of the larger costs will be operating the Kilo Moana, which costs about $40,000 a day to deploy to Station ALOHA. The flagship research vessel, which can carry 22 scientists and 20 crew members at a time, is equipped with eight laboratories and more than 4,000 square feet of exterior working space on its decks.

UH President David Lassner confirmed the award from the Simons Foundation is the largest philanthropic gift the university has ever received. (Previously, that designation was held by local real estate businessman Jay Shidler, who donated $25 million to UH in 2006 and had Manoa’s College of Business named after him.)

Lassner said the oceanographic research funding demonstrates the university’s ability to build an economic sector from innovative research.

"A lot of people have wondered, Can we really be serious about building a $1 billion research industry in this state? And I think this is an example of how we’ll do it," Lassner said.

"It isn’t just going to the federal government and cranking in more proposals, but it’s captivating the interest of philanthropists and partners around the country and around the world to begin to build this investment in a research and innovation economy for Hawaii that advances the frontiers of human knowledge."

Brian Taylor, dean of the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, said the SCOPE proj­ect will add to the approximately $2 million a week the school’s researchers already bring into the state.

He called the new proj­ect a "resounding endorsement of the long-term investment by the university in excellent researchers, in facilities and in programs."

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CLARIFICATION: An earlier version of this article contained a list of top donations to the University of Hawaii that omitted several major gifts: $10 million from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for the Hawaii P-20 Initiative; $9.68 million from Palamanui Partners toward construction of Hawaii Community College’s Palamanui campus; $9.6 million from the foundation of the late Ed Pauley to purchase Coconut Island; and $8 million from an anonymous donor for cancer research. Also, a $9.2 million donation that was listed as anonymous is from an estate bequeathed to UH by the late Victor and Margaret Pavel, and is expected to grow to at least $10.25 million.