The Oregon Institute of Marine Biology

What The Oregon Institute of Marine Biology does

The Oregon Institute of Marine Biology (OIMB) is the marine laboratory and academic department of the University of Oregon, located on the Oregon Coast in Charleston. It delivers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in marine biology (Marine Biology Major, Emphasis, MS, and PhD), with undergraduates spending a full academic year in residential study at the coastal campus. The institute's core technology consists of marine research facilities and oceanographic equipment, anchored by the Megalopa research vessel used for instructional and research cruises in which students sample seawater salinity, chlorophyll and phosphate concentration, zooplankton density, and related oceanographic parameters. Faculty research programs generate longitudinal datasets, most notably Alan Shanks' 25-year Dungeness crab population time series that yields commercial harvest forecasts with a 12 percent margin of error. The Charleston Marine Life Center (CMLC) functions as OIMB's public outreach arm, offering K-12 programming and exhibit-based community engagement, while the NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program brings external undergraduates into OIMB's research labs.

OIMB's business model is that of a public university department rather than a commercial enterprise. Funding flows from University of Oregon budget allocations, tuition and fees set at the institutional level, federal grants (principally NSF), and philanthropic donations routed through the University of Oregon Foundation. There is no disclosed commercial pricing, transactional revenue, or independent ownership structure; the institute is fully embedded within the University of Oregon's College of Arts and Sciences. Its geographic footprint is concentrated in Charleston on the Oregon Coast (with administrative headquarters in Eugene), and its customer base spans prospective and enrolled undergraduates, graduate students and researchers, and the general public reached through CMLC outreach.

Name

The Oregon Institute of Marine Biology

Legal name

Oregon Institute of Marine Biology

Website

https://oimb.uoregon.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The Oregon Institute of Marine Biology is the University of Oregon's marine laboratory on the Oregon Coast, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in marine biology, conducting faculty-led marine science research aboard the vessel Megalopa, and providing public outreach through the Charleston Marine Life Center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Eugene

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Oregon Institute of Marine Biology (OIMB) is a marine laboratory and academic department of the University of Oregon that delivers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in marine biology, conducts world-class marine science research, and runs public outreach through the Charleston Marine Life Center (CMLC). Students spend a full academic year in immersive residential study at the Oregon Coast campus, with access to diverse marine habitats including rocky intertidal zones, the Coos Bay Estuary, kelp forests, and deep-sea environments.

Product overview

The Oregon Institute of Marine Biology (OIMB) is a marine laboratory and academic department of the University of Oregon offering educational programs in marine biology. The portfolio consists of undergraduate and graduate degree programs (Marine Biology Major, MS, and PhD), public outreach through the Charleston Marine Life Center, and research programs including the NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) and the newly launched Coastal Quarter program. These offerings combine world-class marine science research with immersive education and community engagement at the Oregon Coast.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Marine Biology Major (Undergraduate)

Quantifiable outcome

• 12 percent margin of error in Dungeness crab population predictions using the Shanks trap methodology

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Local Partners (for internships)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner organizations provide internship opportunities for OIMB graduate students and participants, enabling practical experience and community engagement alongside academic research.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Dauphin Island Sea Lab: Marine research and education lab on the Alabama Gulf Coast. Comparable as a standalone marine lab offering undergraduate/graduate coursework, faculty research, K-12 outreach, and residential field programs.
• Romberg Tiburon Center (SF State Estuary & Ocean Science Center): San Francisco State's coastal marine lab on San Francisco Bay. Comparable as a state-university marine research and education facility serving graduate students, faculty research, and public outreach.
• Shoals Marine Laboratory: Joint Cornell University and University of New Hampshire marine lab in the Gulf of Maine. Comparable as a university-affiliated marine field station offering summer courses, research opportunities, and K-12 outreach.
• Hatfield Marine Science Center: Oregon State University's marine research facility in Newport, OR. Closely comparable as a fellow Oregon-based marine research and education institution serving undergraduate, graduate, and public audiences on the Oregon Coast.
• Bodega Marine Laboratory: UC Davis's coastal marine lab in Bodega Bay, CA. Comparable as a UC-system coastal marine research and teaching facility with residential programs, faculty research labs, and public outreach.
• Friday Harbor Laboratories: University of Washington's marine research and education lab in the San Juan Islands. Like OIMB, it is a university-affiliated coastal marine lab offering research, teaching, and graduate training with access to diverse Northwest Pacific habitats.
• Hopkins Marine Station: Stanford University's coastal marine lab on Monterey Bay. Comparable as a top-tier university marine research and education lab offering graduate training, faculty research, and student field courses.

Broad incumbents

• Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL): Independent marine and biological research institution in Woods Hole, MA. Comparable as a globally recognized marine research and education institution, though significantly larger in scope and operating as an independent (non-university) entity.
• Scripps Institution of Oceanography: UC San Diego's graduate school of marine sciences. Comparable as a major university ocean research and graduate education institution offering PhD programs, faculty research, and seagoing operations—though far larger and broader in scope than OIMB.
• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI): Independent ocean research institution in Woods Hole, MA. Comparable as a premier ocean science research and graduate education institution with substantially broader scope and scale than OIMB.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/univ_of_oregon
• Facebookfacebook.com/UOOIMB

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about The Oregon Institute of Marine Biology