Description of Organisation
The French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (Ifremer) has been mandated by the French Government to participate in the MarinERA project. Ifremer is a public institution created by decree of 5 June 1984, modified on 1998 and 2002. Ifremer is a public institute of industrial and commercial nature. It is placed under the joint supervision of four ministries: Research, Agriculture and Fisheries, Transport and Housing, Ecology and Sustainable Development.
It is the only French public organisation with an entirely maritime responsibility. Ifremer is required to implement and promote fundamental and applied research, along with technological developments, in order to assess and valorise the marine environment and to enable the maritime activities to develop. Ifremer contributes, through studies and expert assessments, to knowledge about the ocean and its resources, monitoring of marine and coastal zones and the sustainable development of maritime activities.
To these ends, it designs and operates observational, experimental and monitoring tools and facilities.
Article 4 in the Decree displays that Ifremer is in charge of proposing to the French government national research and development programmes, and to implement them using contractual tools. It also states that Ifremer has to be the acting body for the ministry for Fisheries and the Ministry for Research (in the maritime domains) when the programmes deal with more than one research partner. Ifremer manages the ocean research fleet for the French scientific community.
Ifremer is administrated through a board of Directors, composed of representatives from the relevant Ministries. Ifremer funds are available through annual grants from the Ministries corresponding to annual or multi-annual programmes. Ifremer has an annual budget dedicated to Marine Science of €160 Millions.
Marine RTD Funding Programmes
French Oceanographic Fleet Scientific Use:
www.ifremer.fr/flotte/index.html
National Coastal Environment Programme (PNEC):
www.programme-pnec.org
Co-driven and co-funded Programmes with other Research bodies:
- National Programme for Dynamic Study of Climate (PNEDC): managed by INSU. Ocean component of this programme is co-managed by both Ifremer and INSU,
- National Programme for Medium Atmosphere (PATOM): oceanic component is co-managed by INSU and Ifremer,
- National Programme for Biogeochemical process and flow in Ocean (PROOF): the Oceanic biogeochemistry component is co-managed by INSU and Ifremer,
- LITEAU, National programme managed by French Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development, aims at funding research projects about coastal marine environment and management (e.g. Water EU Directive applied to marine coastal areas). Ifremer is in charge of scientific animation. Annual budget: € 1 million. Implemented with annual open calls of proposals.
