CoNISMa

What CoNISMa does

CoNISMa (Consorzio Interuniversitario di Scienze del Mare) is an Italian inter-university consortium founded in 1994 and headquartered at Piazzale Flaminio n.9, Rome. It coordinates inter-university and interdisciplinary marine science research across 36 Italian universities, drawing on approximately 700 affiliated professors, researchers, and technicians organized into Local Research Units (Unità Locali di Ricerca, ULR). The consortium's core technology is its research coordination platform — a network architecture that aggregates academic capabilities, project management, and field-monitoring activity (cetacean monitoring, marine protected area sampling, biodiversity assessments, oceanographic observation) without operating commercial products.

Its offerings are non-commercial research and coordination services: it facilitates participation in European funding programmes (Interreg Italy-Croatia 2021/2027, FP7, EMODnet), manages framework agreements and training courses, organizes workshops and Master's programmes, and disseminates publications. The business model is dual-stream: (1) competitive EU and national research project funding, where CoNISMa acts as coordinator or partner, and (2) recurring membership contributions from the 36 member universities supporting institutional operations. Customer segments are Italian universities (primary), Italian Marine Protected Areas, and European research institutions collaborating under EU marine networks.

CoNISMa is structurally embedded in nine European and international marine science networks — European Marine Board (EMBC), EuroMarine, EMBRC, IODP, EMSO, the Italian Oceanographic Commission (COI), Blue Italian Growth (BIG), IPBES, and MONGOOS — and is recognized on the EU Innovation Radar platform. It holds bilateral framework agreements with CNRDPA (Algeria) and the Consortium des Universités Marines Françaises (France), and executes regional partnerships such as the 2025 agreement with Arpa Puglia under the Biopressadria Interreg project. Governance rests on a Consiglio Direttivo per Article 7 of its Statute; there is no shareholding, parent company, or external investor structure, consistent with its non-profit Consorzio Interuniversitario designation.

Name

CoNISMa

Legal name

CoNISMa

Website

https://conisma.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CoNISMa is an Italian inter-university consortium founded in 1994 that coordinates marine sciences research across 36 Italian universities and roughly 700 affiliated researchers. It funds its operations through EU project grants and member contributions, serving Italian academia and European marine research networks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Sciences Research Coordination

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Research Collaboration & Joint Labs (International Partnerships) (EDAIABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Research Universities with Multi-Campus Systems (EDAHAAAI), International Science, Technology & Space Cooperation Organizations (BPADAAAK)

Keywords

• Marine science research
• Inter-university consortium
• EU research projects
• Mediterranean ecosystem monitoring
• Marine biodiversity research

Headquarters

HQ city

Rome

HQ country

Italy

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

Revenue model

1. EU Research Project Funding: CoNISMa generates revenue through competitive EU research funding programs including Interreg (Italy-Croatia, IPA South Adriatic), FP7, and other European Commission programmes. The consortium serves as coordinator or partner in these projects.
2. Membership Contributions: Consortium fees from 36 member universities supporting institutional operations and coordination activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CoNISMa is an Italian university consortium that coordinates and conducts inter-university and interdisciplinary marine sciences research across its 36 member universities. It manages and participates in EU-funded research projects (Interreg Italy-Croatia, FP7, IPA South Adriatic), delivers advanced training courses and master's programmes in marine sampling and monitoring, publishes scientific proceedings, and maintains framework research collaborations with national and international institutions.

Product overview

CoNISMa (Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare) is a consortium of 36 Italian universities dedicated to marine sciences research. The organization does not offer commercial products or services; instead, it facilitates collaborative research activities, publishes scientific proceedings, organizes training courses and workshops, and coordinates inter-university research programs in marine sciences. Its activities include managing research projects (such as INTERREG programs), publishing conference proceedings, administering training programs and Masters degrees, and coordinating scientific collaborations through framework agreements with international institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Interreg and EU-funded Research Projects (e.g., Biopressadria) Named, time-bound research projects funded through EU programmes (such as Interreg Italy-Croatia 2021/2027 and IPA South Adriatic) in which CoNISMa serves as coordinator or partner, delivering coordinated marine science research across multiple European institutions for member universities and partner organisations.
• Training Courses and Workshops Advanced training courses and workshops on marine sampling and monitoring techniques delivered to researchers and staff of marine protected areas and partner institutions (e.g., the Biopressadria course at Porto Cesareo Marine Protected Area).
• Framework Research Agreements and Master's Programmes Framework research collaboration agreements with international institutions (e.g., CNRDPA Algeria, French marine universities consortium) and master's-level academic programmes in marine sciences coordinated across CoNISMa's 36 member universities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 700 researchers coordinated across 36 universities
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core, major and regional.

• Arpa PugliaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2025Regional environmental protection agency supporting marine monitoring activities in Porto Cesareo training course.
• European Marine Board (EMBC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoNISMa adheres to the European Marine Board, a leading European forum for marine research strategy and policy coordination.
• EuroMarinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean marine science network promoting coordination of marine research across European institutions.
• European Marine Biological Resource Centre (EMBRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean research infrastructure for marine biological resources, enabling access to marine biological models and data.
• International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration for ocean drilling research and deep-sea scientific studies.
• EMSO (European Multidisciplinary Seafloor Observatory)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean infrastructure for seafloor and water column monitoring in seas around Europe.
• Commissione Oceanografica Italiana (COI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian national coordination body for oceanographic research and activities.
• Blue Italian Growth (BIG)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian national technology cluster for blue economy, promoting innovation in maritime sectors.
• IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal intergovernmental body assessing the state of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
• MONGOOS (Mediterranean Oceanographic Network for GOOS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional network for global ocean observing system in the Mediterranean.
• Centre national de Recherche et de Développement de la Pêche et de l'Acquaculture (CNRDPA) - AlgeriaregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerFramework agreement between CoNISMa and CNRDPA for collaboration in fisheries and aquaculture research.
• Consortium des Universités Marines Françaises - FranceregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint declaration for collaboration with French marine universities consortium.
• Porto Cesareo Marine Protected AreaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost organization for Biopressadria project training activities, coordinated by CoNISMa under Interreg Italy-Croatia programme.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI): Germany's polar and marine research institute; comparable coordinating role in large-scale European marine research projects where CoNISMa participates as a Mediterranean-focused partner.
• IFREMER: France's national research institute for marine science and technology; structurally analogous to a much larger version of CoNISMa's coordinating function, and a natural counterpart in cross-border Mediterranean projects.
• GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel: German marine research center covering oceanography, marine biogeochemistry, and marine ecology; a directly comparable coordinating node for European marine science and frequent CoNISMa partner in EU consortia.
• National Oceanography Centre (NOC, UK): UK's largest marine science institution; comparable in mission scope (oceanographic research, monitoring, technology) though significantly larger and more internationally oriented than CoNISMa.

Regional players

• Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR): Greece's national marine research center; serves as the Greek functional equivalent of CoNISMa within EMBC/EuroMarine and is a comparable regional coordinator for Mediterranean marine research partnerships.
• CSIC - Instituto de Ciencias del Mar (ICM): Spain's leading marine research institute under CSIC; comparable national coordinating function within the Iberian-Mediterranean research ecosystem and a typical CoNISMa partner in EU Mediterranean projects.

Others

• EMBRC (European Marine Biological Resource Centre): Pan-European marine research infrastructure consortium of which CoNISMa is a member; comparable as a coordinating network entity and a potential upstream 'consortium-of-consortia' that channels projects to national nodes like CoNISMa.
• EuroMarine: European marine science network promoting coordination across institutions; CoNISMa is a member, making this a peer coordinating body operating at a higher (European) aggregation level.

Direct peers

• Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn: Italian national marine research institute with a comparable mandate to coordinate marine biology research; operates as a parallel (but separately structured) node to CoNISMa within the Italian marine sciences ecosystem, often partnering with CoNISMa on EU projects.
• CNR - ISMAR (Institute of Marine Sciences): Italy's largest public marine research institute under the National Research Council; directly comparable in marine science coordination role and a frequent co-participant with CoNISMa in EU-funded Mediterranean research consortia.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/conisma

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CoNISMa