R/V Falkor was originally built in 1981 in Lübeck, Germany as a Fishery Protection Vessel. The ship went through an extensive refit from 2009 to early 2012, converting the ship to an oceanographic research vessel.
Schmidt Ocean Institute is a 501(c)(3) private non-profit operating foundation established to advance oceanographic research, discovery, and knowledge, and catalyze sharing of information about the oceans.