What CICESE Research Center does

CICESE (Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada, Baja California) is a Mexican public research center founded in 1973, headquartered in Ensenada, Baja California, and operating under Mexico's Ministry of Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation (SECIHTI). It conducts scientific research across four domains — Sciences of the Sea and Earth, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Information Sciences — and offers 19 graduate (master's and doctoral) programs serving 455 active students. It serves the academic research community, including 185 SNI-certified researchers, and operates regional academic and technology transfer units in La Paz, Tepic, and Monterrey.

The institution's core technological asset is its High-Performance Computing and Artificial Intelligence infrastructure, anchored by the Coatlicue supercomputer, which CICESE integrates as a node in Mexico's newly formed National High-Performance Computing and AI Cluster alongside UNAM, UAM, Cinvestav, UAG, and IPICYT. It also operates specialized data services including seismological monitoring (RESNOM), meteorological forecasting, the national CLICOM climatological database, tide and ocean current prediction, and a telematics division supporting compute and telecom infrastructure. These data services are provided as public goods to researchers, government agencies, and the general public.

CICESE does not operate on a commercial revenue model; it is funded by the Mexican federal government through SECIHTI and supplemented by international research collaborations (e.g., a 2026 partnership with India's Zoological Survey of India). Its go-to-market is institutional rather than commercial — distribution channels are graduate education, scientific publications, public data portals, and technology transfer via the Dirección de Impulso a la Innovación y el Desarrollo. Strategic positioning is increasingly oriented toward contributing to Mexico's scientific and technological sovereignty through participation in national advanced-compute infrastructure and applied AI programs such as the IA@CIENCIA colloquium series.

Name

CICESE Research Center

Legal name

Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada, Baja California

Website

https://cicese.edu.mx

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CICESE is a Mexican public research center headquartered in Ensenada, Baja California, operating under SECIHTI. It conducts marine, earth, life, physical, and information sciences research, runs 19 graduate programs, and hosts the Coatlicue supercomputer as a node in Mexico's National High-Performance Computing and AI Cluster.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ensenada

HQ country

Mexico

HQ region

Latin America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CICESE is a public Mexican research center that conducts advanced scientific research across marine and earth sciences, life sciences, physical sciences, and information sciences, while offering graduate-level education (master's and doctoral programs). It operates specialized research services including seismological monitoring, meteorological forecasting, climatological databases, ocean current predictions, and high-performance computing infrastructure through Mexico's National HPC and AI Cluster.

Product overview

CICESE (Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada) is a public Mexican research institution located in Ensenada, Baja California. The organization operates as a comprehensive research center with four main scientific divisions: Sciences of the Sea and Earth, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Information Sciences. It offers graduate education programs and maintains several specialized units including the Telematics Division, Innovation and Development Division, and academic units in La Paz, Tepic, and Monterrey. CICESE also participates as a node in Mexico's National High-Performance Computing and AI Cluster, providing advanced computing infrastructure for scientific research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Graduate Programs (Posgrados) Graduate-level education programs (master's and doctoral) offered through the Dirección de Estudios de Posgrado, covering research specializations in marine and earth sciences, life sciences, physical sciences, and information sciences. Targets prospective graduate students seeking advanced scientific training.
• Research Data Services Specialized data and monitoring services including seismological reports (RESNOM), meteorological forecasts, climatological predictions, sea level monitoring, ocean current predictions (GulfCal), the national CLICOM climatological database, the MAR sea level prediction program, Gulf of Mexico Research Consortium (CIGoM), and glider-based monitoring (GMOG). Targets researchers, government agencies, and the general public.
• National High-Performance Computing and AI Cluster Node A node in Mexico's National High-Performance Computing and AI Cluster, providing distributed computing infrastructure that integrates the Coatlicue supercomputer. Serves researchers and academic institutions requiring advanced computational resources for scientific research, AI, and data-intensive workloads.
• Telemática (Telematics) Telematics research and services operated through the Dirección de Telemática, supporting computing and telecommunications infrastructure for the research center and its scientific activities. Targets researchers and academic users requiring IT and communications support.
• Innovation and Development Services Innovation and technology transfer services operated through the Dirección de Impulso a la Innovación y el Desarrollo, supporting technological development and industrial partnerships. Targets industry partners, technology adopters, and research collaborators seeking commercialization of scientific discoveries.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2026Participating institution in the National High-Performance Computing and AI Cluster, contributing to the consolidation of Mexico's distributed national computing network and integration of the Coatlicue supercomputer.
• UAM (Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2026Participating institution in the National High-Performance Computing and AI Cluster, contributing to Mexico's scientific and technological sovereignty through shared governance and infrastructure.
• CinvestavcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2026Participating institution in the National High-Performance Computing and AI Cluster, part of Mexico's largest institutional coordination effort in advanced computing.
• UAG (Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2026Participating institution in the National High-Performance Computing and AI Cluster, contributing to the distributed national network of computing nodes.
• IPICYT (Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2026Participating institution in the National High-Performance Computing and AI Cluster, part of the consolidation of fragmented computing resources in Mexico.
• Zoological Survey of India (ZSI)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 February 2026International scientific collaboration on marine biodiversity research. ZSI scientists and CICESE researchers jointly discovered two new species of marine nereidid polychaete worms (Namalycastis solenotognatha and Nereis dhritiae) along the Bengal coast in India.
• SECIHTI (Secretaría de Ciencia, Humanidades, Tecnología e Innovación)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMexican Ministry of Science overseeing CICESE's participation in the National High-Performance Computing and AI Cluster, providing institutional governance and strategic direction.
• ATDT (Agencia de Transformación Digital y Telecomunicaciones)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment agency co-leading the National High-Performance Computing and AI Cluster initiative with SECIHTI, providing digital transformation and telecommunications infrastructure support.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México): Mexico's premier public research university with extensive multi-disciplinary research and graduate programs. Direct partner in the National HPC/AI Cluster and the most comprehensive comparable institution in Mexico, with overlapping marine, earth, life, and physical sciences research.
• Cinvestav (Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN): Mexico's leading graduate-only research center with similar SECIHTI oversight, multi-disciplinary science divisions, and master's/doctoral programs. Direct co-participant in the National HPC/AI Cluster with closely aligned mission and governance.
• IPICYT (Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica): Mexican public research center covering life sciences, physical sciences, and computational sciences with similar graduate program structure. Strategic partner in the National HPC/AI Cluster, making it highly comparable in scope and scale to CICESE.
• UAM (Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana): Major Mexican public research university with strong basic and applied sciences divisions. Strategic partner in the National HPC/AI Cluster with similar SECIHTI oversight, multi-disciplinary graduate programs, and public research mandate.
• CICY (Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán): Mexican public research center focused on regional sciences (biology, biotechnology, materials, energy) with similar SECIHTI governance, graduate program structure, and public-data-service orientation. Comparable in scale and operational model to CICESE.
• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: Premier global oceanographic research institution with graduate-level programs (joint with MIT) and HPC infrastructure for marine science. Highly comparable to CICESE's marine sciences division in mission, scale of ocean research, and graduate education role.
• Scripps Institution of Oceanography: World-leading oceanographic and earth sciences research institution at UC San Diego with graduate programs, oceanographic fleet, and extensive public data services. Direct functional peer for CICESE's oceanography, seismology, and climate research.
• Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS): Spanish national supercomputing center operating HPC infrastructure for scientific research with strong ties to academic and government partners. Highly comparable to CICESE's National HPC/AI Cluster role in providing shared computing infrastructure and workforce development.
• MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute): U.S. private nonprofit oceanographic research institute operating autonomous vehicles, oceanographic data services, and HPC-enabled marine science. Comparable to CICESE's ocean sciences division in technology-driven marine research and public data dissemination.

Regional players

• INMEGEN (Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica): Mexican public research institute under SECIHTI focused on genomic medicine. Comparable governance and funding model to CICESE, with overlap in life-sciences research and graduate training, but specialized in biomedical rather than marine/earth sciences.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/todoscicese
• YouTubeyoutube.com/CICESEciencia
• Facebookfacebook.com/CICESE
• Instagraminstagram.com/cicese_oficial

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CICESE Research Center