University of Vigo
Field: Marine
The Marine Research Centre (CIM in its Spanish initials), which was founded in 2016, lies at the core of the Galician University System’s marine strategy, driving its capacity to contribute to progress in ocean science and education. In recent years, the CIM has consolidated its position as a benchmark for the generation, transfer and dissemination of knowledge of marine and coastal ecosystems and the development of a sustainable blue economy.
The CIM’s mission is to contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources through the generation and transfer of knowledge. Its vision is to become a leading international centre for marine research and a key actor in blue innovation and dissemination in the European Atlantic arc.
It has a solid grounding in the study and monitoring on the impact of global warming on the marine-coastal ecosystem, marine ecotoxicology, the sustainable exploitation of marine resources and the integral management of coastal regions. It is part of the EMBRC-ERIC European infrastructures for research into marine biological resources.
RESEARCH AREAS
Aquiculture and the sustainable exploitation of resources
Global change and contamination
Integrated management of coastal areas
Biodiversity and ecosystem services
Renewable energies and new resources
publications, 28.6% in D1 (2020-2023)
in competitive funding (2020-2023)
ERC research fellows
scientific dissemination activities (2020-2023)
researchers and 50 support staff in 2023
KEY PROJECTS
This project, led by the CIM, coordinates a total of 20 institutions, including Europe’s principal marine biobanks. Over a four-year period, new technologies and common protocols have been developed for the ex-situ maintenance of marine biological resources and standardising existing ones to ensure the coordinated action of the various biobanks under the supervision of the European Marine Biological Resource Centre (EMBRC). Furthermore, the project has focused in particular on the implementation of procedures and the creation of a best practice guide for compliance with new legislation regarding access to marine genetic resources. This legislation has been developed within the framework of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in order to protect the interests of the countries that are home to these resources.
Project type: INTERREG-Atlantic Area
CIM area of specialisation: Biodiversity and ecosystem services
Execution period: 16/10/2017 – 30/07/2023
Centre budget: 1.613.595,00 €
This project, spearheaded by UVigo-CIM through is Campus do Mar international campus of excellence, has received 1.1 million euros in funding. BLUEBIOLAB has set up a scientific excellence laboratory in marine biotechnology to address a number of the major challenges facing society and the environment through the study of marine biological resources, with a particular focus on their sustainable exploitation Key research lines include areas such as aquiculture and biotechnology, the development of new bioactive compounds and biomaterials of marine origin and the use of omic technologies in order to gain a deeper understanding of marine biodiversity. Partners in this initiative include the universities of A Coruña, Santiago de Compostela and Minho, the Spanish National Research Council (CISC), the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) and the Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR).
Project type: INTERREG-POCTEP
CIM area of specialisation: Biodiversity and ecosystem services / Aquiculture and the sustainable exploitation of resources
Total funding: 1.122.152€
Execution period: 01/01/2018 – 05/04/2022
The LABPLAS project is intended to develop new techniques and models for quantifying micro and nanoplastics. Specifically, LABPLAS will establish reliable identification methods for a more precise assessment of the abundance, distribution and degree of toxicity of these plastics and the chemical substances associated within them in the environment. It will also develop practical computational tools for the cartography of critical plastic points and allow scientifically robust plastic pollution governance.
Project type: H2020
CIM area of specialisation: Global change and contamination
Centre PI: Ricardo Beiras
Total funding: 5.011.111,00 €
Execution period: 01/06/2021 – 31/05/2025
MarRisk seeks to ensure the intelligent and sustained growth of coastal areas in Galicia and northern Portugal by assessing the most important coastal risks in a climate change scenario. Flooding, the intensification of extreme events, episodes of toxic algae or coastal erosion are examples of the risks that must be analysed in order to improve the resilience of traditional economic sectors and other emerging areas such as offshore renewable energies. This involves improving the adaptation capacity of the cooperation area in the event of possible catastrophes and the development of applications and services to guarantee an effective response.
Project type: INTERREG-POCTEP
CIM area of specialisation: Global change and pollution / Integrated management of coastal areas
Centre PI: Ramón Gómez Gesteira
Centre budget: 2.217.771,00 €
Execution period: 01/06/2021 – 31/05/2025
This is a project for the development of a state-of-the-art plug-in hybrid vessel for oceanographic research. This medium-sized vessel (19.5 m long x 5.4 m wide) is powered by solar panels with polycrystalline cells connected to a charger, and two wind turbines connected to its control systems. It features an innovative eco-friendly propulsion system and an efficient management model that enables the collection of oceanographic data of outstanding quality. In turn, this will allow excellent and multi-disciplinary R&D that will be highly competitive in regional, national and international spheres and areas with a major social, economic and environmental impact such as climate change, fishing, biodiversity or risk management.
The new infrastructure, promoted by the University of Vigo’s Marine Research Centre (CIM in its Spanish initials) will be managed as a service within the Toralla Marine Science Station (ECIMATE), the Research Support Centre (CAI), part of the EMBRC European Infrastructure and dependent on the CIM and University of Vigo, for the purpose of invoicing, maintaining and delivering specialised scientific and technical services.
Financing institution: Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities
CIM area of specialisation: All
Centre PI: Daniel Rey
Centre budget: 1.500.000,00 €
Execution period: 01/11/2022 – 01/11/2024
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
Contact
Address. Edificio Filomena Dato
Campus de Vigo
36310 Vigo. Galicia. (Spain)
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