Name

CCMAR

Legal name

Centro de Ciências do Mar do Algarve

Website

https://ccmar.ualg.pt

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Faro

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CCMAR is a marine sciences research center that provides access to specialized research infrastructure — including biological resources, experimental stations, molecular biology, imaging, chemical/structural analysis, and scientific diving — to support marine biology, ecology, aquaculture, fisheries, and conservation research. It also delivers doctoral-level education, professional training, technology transfer, and citizen science outreach programs for academic, industry, government, and public audiences.

Product overview

CCMAR (Centro de Ciências do Mar do Algarve) is a marine research center that offers a portfolio of research infrastructure services, scientific diving capabilities, and educational programs. The center provides access to biological resources, experimental facilities, molecular biology, chemical analysis, and imaging services for marine research. CCMAR also operates the Observatório Marinho do Algarve (OMA) for regional marine monitoring and hosts outreach initiatives including the Marine Forest Festival and citizen science programs. Key research projects include INOVACEL (cellular aquaculture innovation) and various conservation programs for seahorses and marine ecosystems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Infrastructure Services CCMAR provides access to scientific research infrastructure including biological resources, ecosystem access, experimental stations, molecular biology facilities, chemical and structural analysis, and imaging services for marine research, primarily serving academic, research, and industry partners.
• Scientific Diving Centre Professional scientific diving services and underwater research capabilities supporting marine ecosystem studies, sample collection, and field research for research institutions and qualified researchers.
• Doctoral School and Training Programs Advanced academic programs including doctoral school, master's courses, professional training, and seminars in marine sciences, serving graduate students, researchers, and professionals.
• Innovation and Technology Transfer Management Innovation management and technology transfer services supporting research commercialization and industry collaboration, provided via the Innovation and Technology Transfer Manager (Daniela Fazenda).
• Observatório Marinho do Algarve (OMA) Marine observatory initiative focused on ocean governance, sustainable tourism transition, and regional marine monitoring, producing data and guidance for stakeholders in the Algarve region.
• Citizen Science Programs Public engagement programs including science education, marine festivals, seahorse conservation campaigns, and community involvement in ocean research for citizens, schools, and community groups.
• Seahorse Conservation Program Conservation efforts for endangered seahorse populations in Ria Formosa, including habitat protection, population research, public awareness campaigns, and implementation of the Seahorse Conservation Plan in partnership with ICNF and the Almancil International Rotary Club.

Quantifiable outcome

• Seahorse population research showing 90% decline in Ria Formosa over 15 years - informing conservation strategies
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Necton S.A.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Lead consortium partner in the INOVACEL project (2025-2027) focused on sustainability and innovation in aquaculture using microalgae. The project addresses challenges in cellular aquaculture including dependence on animal-derived sera for cell expansion and the development of microalgae-based alternatives.
• S2AQUAcoLABcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner in the INOVACEL project working on circular integrated production systems for aquaculture using microalgae. Contributes to the development of innovative products for cellular aquaculture.
• GreenCoLabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner in the INOVACEL project focused on developing microalgae-based products for sustainable aquaculture, including microalgae serum alternatives to animal-derived serum.
• EMBRC (European Marine Biological Resource Centre)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCMAR Director Adelino Canário serves as Chair of the General Assembly of EMBRC. CCMAR is the Portuguese node of this European research infrastructure providing transnational access to marine biological resources and research facilities.
• AQUAEXCEL (AQUAculture infrastructures for EXCELlence in European fish research)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean aquaculture research infrastructure network providing transnational access to experimental facilities, with CCMAR participating as a key facility provider for fish research.
• ASSEMBLE Plus (Association of European Marine Biological Laboratories)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean marine biology research infrastructure providing transnational access to CCMAR facilities and enabling collaborative marine research across European institutions.
• IBAP (Instituto da Biodiversidade e Áreas Protegidas) - Guinea-BissauminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner in Guinea-Bissau for the MARAFRICA project and Bijagós Archipelago expeditions. IBAP manages protected areas in the archipelago which is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
• INIPO (Instituto Nacional de Investigação Pesqueira e Oceanográfica) - Guinea-BissauminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational research institute partner for marine invertebrate surveys in the Bijagós Archipelago as part of the MARAFRICA project, contributing to biodiversity documentation and conservation efforts.
• ICNF (Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortuguese government agency collaborating on seahorse conservation initiatives in Ria Formosa. Joint efforts include public awareness campaigns and implementation of the Seahorse Conservation Plan.
• Almancil International Rotary Club (AIRC)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational Rotary Club supporting seahorse conservation project in Ria Formosa through fundraising. Contacted Rotary Clubs across Europe, Africa, and the United States to gather donors for the environmental project in Portugal.
• Forum OceanocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCMAR Director serves on the Directive Board of Forum Oceano, Portugal's maritime economy association, supporting blue economy development and marine sector innovation.
• GreencolabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCMAR Director serves as President of the Directive Board of Greencolab, a marine biotechnology research lab focusing on microalgae and sustainable marine products.
• Ciência Viva (Live Science National Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCMAR is a member of the advisory board of Ciência Viva, Portugal's national agency for scientific culture and public engagement in science.
• fair-fish internationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgreement between CCMAR and fair-fish international to establish the Fish Ethology and Welfare research group at CCMAR. Partnership focuses on fish welfare research, consultancy, training, and an open-access fish welfare database.
• SCAR (Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCMAR is represented on the coordinating committee for Portuguese Polar Research, with researchers conducting Antarctic studies on fish physiology and adaptation to environmental changes.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SAMS - Scottish Association for Marine Science: UK non-profit marine science research and education organisation operating out of Oban. Similar in scale, governance, and blend of fundamental research, applied aquaculture, and policy engagement; also linked into European research infrastructure networks.
• Marine Biological Association (MBA): UK learned society and marine biology research institute with a similar ~50–100 staff scale, non-profit model, and a century-plus history of marine research. Highly comparable in mission, scale, and reliance on grants and membership funding.
• MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre: Portuguese marine and environmental sciences research network across multiple universities. Direct peer in scale, mandate, and Iberian Atlantic focus, with shared participation in Portuguese blue-economy and EU-funded marine research programs.
• Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML): UK-based independent marine research charity delivering fundamental and applied marine science. Comparable in non-profit model and focus on marine ecology, biogeochemistry, and ecosystem services, with a somewhat larger scale.
• MBARI - Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute: US private non-profit oceanographic research institute with a similar governance and funding model. Comparable in mission (private, science-led marine research with strong engineering and technology transfer) and useful as a structural benchmark, even though it is larger and US-based.
• Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn: Italian marine biology research institute in Naples with a long-standing research and aquaculture tradition. Comparable in non-profit research mandate, marine biology and ecology focus, and integration with European research infrastructure networks.
• CIIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research: Portuguese non-profit marine research centre hosted by the University of Porto. Closely comparable in structure (university-affiliated non-profit), research scope (marine biology, aquaculture, biotechnology), and grant-funded operating model.
• ICM-CSIC - Institut de Ciències del Mar: Spain's principal public marine research institute under CSIC. Direct peer in Iberian Atlantic and Mediterranean marine science, with overlapping areas in marine biology, oceanography, and fisheries research.

Broad incumbents

• GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel: Large German marine research centre covering oceanography, marine biogeochemistry, and marine ecology. Larger and broader in scope than CCMAR, but operates in the same European marine-research landscape and competes for the same EU funding pools.
• Ifremer: French national institute for ocean science with ~1,500 staff. A flagship European marine research organisation whose scale, ocean-going infrastructure, and aquaculture programs are a benchmark — and a competitive ceiling — for CCMAR's ambitions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CienciasDoMar
• Facebookfacebook.com/CentrodeCienciasdoMar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ccmar

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CCMAR