The Netherlands is since 1985 member of an international consortium on ocean drilling. The new 2050 Science Framework: Exploring Earth by Scientific Ocean Drilling guides multidisciplinary subseafloor research into the interconnected processes that characterize the complex Earth system and shape our planet’s future. The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) pays an annual contribution to allow Dutch researchers to participate on IODP expeditions through the European Consortium on Ocean Drilling (ECORD).