Scientists hope a $24 million boost in federal funding will secure Tasmania's place as a leading gateway to Antarctic research and innovation.

The money was a pre-election commitment by the Federal Government to invest in the Antarctic Gateway Partnership between the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), the Australian Maritime College, the Australian Antarctic Division and the CSIRO's Oceans and Atmosphere Flagship.

On the science front IMAS chief investigator Professor Richard Coleman said the funding enabled recipients to augment their research programs.

"It's to be able to drive more capacity in Antarctic science for Tasmania and to help secure and develop our ongoing reputation as one of the global leaders in Antarctic and Southern Ocean research," he said.

Hobart's one of five Antarctic Gateway Cities (along with Cape Town, Christchurch, Punta Arenas and Ushuaia) and has direct air and sea access to the continent.

The money will fund 40 new researchers and technicians, develop a new sea ice charting service, get more Australian scientists working in Antarctica and fund a new remote-controlled submersible that can explore hundreds for kilometres under the ice.

Professor Coleman said the research was important for the whole planet and vital to monitoring climate change.

"To get people to the ice and to be able to carry out experiments but also to develop instrumentation that will allow us to better understand the region," he said.

"The aim really is to be able to understand where some of the contributions of Antarctic polar science is driving global climate.

"So the response of the Antarctic ice shelves to the surrounding oceans - whether they're warming, what's driving the melt from underneath the ice shelves."