03 - IMR

IMR is Norway's leading oceanographic and fisheries research institution. With its staff of about 1000, three major research sites and several regional laboratories it is the 2nd largest marine research institute in Europe. IMR is a governmental research institute under the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries. IMR provides science-based advice to Norwegian authorities and informs industry and the general public. It is responsible for monitoring living marine resources including fish, marine mammals, plankton and benthos in Norwegian waters. IMR also measures extensively oceanographic properties, chemistry including pH and CO2, nutrients, and contaminants.

While international in scope and ambition, IMR’s field activities are focused on the North, Norwegian and Barents Seas, and the recent years expanding more into Arctic and Antarctic regions. IMR scientists have also surveyed and mapped several regions of the deep Atlantic including sections along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge as well as in the Nordic seas. IMR is a governmental research institute under the Norwegian Ministry of Fisheries and Trade. On the basis of best possible science IMR provides advice to Norwegian authorities and informs industry and the general public. IMR operates 5 research vessels, from 2017 also the new ice going RV Kronprins Haakon and has for more than a century accumulated comprehensive experience and knowledge on field work at sea. IMR scientists participate in numerous international organizations, including ICES, OSPAR, Arctic council work groups (AMAP, CMBP, PAME) and is part of data networks like EMODnet, SeaDataNet.

IMR scientists also lead or participate in many international projects including AtlantOS, CERES, MERMAID, COPERNICUS, MyOcean I&II. IMR has long experience in leading EU projects over all and at the WP level and has a highly skilled professional support staff dedicated to this. 

IMR has a central position in Norway, Europe and in the Arctic and Antarctic, providing and sharing data though national and international networks. NMD and NMDC are integrated in the institute and will provide competence and access to their wide networks to INTAROS as well as their large data bases.

IMR’s mandate and activities, especially those related to monitoring the marine environment, fit perfectly with and will be essential to the tasks it will carry out within INTAROS.

Role in the project

IMR will interact with most WPs within INTAROS. Due to the experience in applied science and tight collaboration with national and international scientific networks (WP1), as well as managers and policymakers. By leading WP6 IMR will put these qualities into it and lead the work on demonstrating the usage of an iAOS for stakeholders within many fields, with particular responsibility for developing the iAOS demonstration for ecosystem understanding and management (lead task 6.2). IMR will also contribute to WPs 3 and 5 and interact closely with all other WPs.