The Institute of Marine Research (IIM) belongs to the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and is focused on the study of three Technical and Scientific Areas: Natural Resources, Agricultural Sciences and Food Science and Technology. IIM is organised in four departments: Oceanography, Ecology and Marine Resources, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, and Food Science and Technology.

Given the significance of the sea to the Galician economy and the potential demand from different socioeconomic sectors related to marine issues (oceanography, fisheries, marine cultures, processing and preservation of marine food products, environmental impact…), the mission of IIM is to develop oriented research to meet the current needs, summarised in the following points:

Developing integrated and multidisciplinary research in Marine Sciences to advance in global understanding of marine ecosystems and in the scientific and technological status of the related productive sectors.
Training specialised research and technical staff, assisting their transfer to other sectors (industry, administration, education etc.).
Playing an active role in research, education and dissemination to society in general.
Transferring scientific knowledge and technology to industry.