Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology

What Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology does

HIMB is an organized research unit of the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa's School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), founded in 1947 and relocated to Moku o Lo'e (Coconut Island) in Kāne'ohe Bay in 1951. The institute conducts marine biology research across coral reef ecology, marine megafauna, fisheries, and applied ocean technology, and serves graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, federal science agencies (notably NSF and NOAA), Pacific Island communities, and international collaborators. Core technical capabilities include environmental DNA (eDNA) reference genomics (via the National Geographic Pristine Seas eDNA lab founded 2022), coral cryopreservation (including a published lunar biorepository concept, 2025), 3D-printed reef substrates (R3D), shark biotelemetry, the Coral Disease Forecasting System, drone-based marine-mammal monitoring, and computational reef modeling. A flagship asset is the 29-acre Moku o Lo'e research station with adjacent living reef as a natural laboratory.

Name

Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology

Legal name

Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology

Website

https://himb.hawaii.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

HIMB is the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa marine biology research institute on Moku o Lo'e in Kāne'ohe Bay, conducting coral reef, megafauna, fisheries, and applied ocean technology research for graduate students, federal agencies, and Pacific Island communities, funded by federal grants, university allocations, and private donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Biology Research and Education

NAICS

Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAGAE

Marine & Freshwater Conservation

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Environmental & Conservation Organizations

Keywords

• Marine biology research
• Coral reef conservation
• Ocean ecosystem monitoring
• Marine science education
• Environmental DNA analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Kāne'ohe

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. University of Hawai'i at Mānoa Funding: HIMB is an organized research unit of the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, part of the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST). Core operational funding comes from university allocations and state funding.
2. Federal Research Grants: Major funding from agencies including National Science Foundation (NSF), NOAA, and other federal programs supporting specific research initiatives and projects.
3. Private Donations and Foundation Support: Giving facilitated through UH Foundation (EIN: 99-0085260) supporting research programs, scholarships, and facility improvements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

HIMB conducts marine biology research, education, and community engagement programs from its living laboratory on Moku o Lo'e (Coconut Island) in Kāne'ohe Bay. Its core offerings include five research focus areas (coral resilience, marine megafauna, community-based research, sustainable fisheries, and applied technology), specialized research labs, and the REMS education program for students from K-12 through graduate level.

Product overview

Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) is an organized research unit of the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, operating as a research institute rather than a product company. Its offerings consist of five interconnected research programs focused on coral resilience, marine megafauna, community-based research, sustainable fisheries, and applied technology. The institute operates multiple specialized research laboratories (including the Smithsonian Cryopreservation Lab and He'eia NERR), provides the REMS education program for students, and offers data platforms like HIMARC for collaborative marine ecosystem monitoring. Research tools include a Coral Disease Forecasting System developed with NOAA, while advanced technologies employed include genomic sequencing, bio-logging, AUVs, and supercomputer modeling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Coral & Coastal Resilience Research Program Interdisciplinary research program developing solutions to protect coral reefs through understanding climate change impacts, combining new technology with traditional ecological knowledge to strengthen natural marine defenses.
• Marine Megafauna Research Program Study of marine megafauna including whales, dolphins, sea turtles and sharks as sentinels for ocean health, using drones, animal-borne tags, acoustic monitoring and satellite imagery.
• Community-Based Co-Developed Research Program Partnership-based research program integrating modern scientific methods with Indigenous and local knowledge for marine conservation and scientific discovery.
• Fish & Sustainable Fisheries Program Fisheries science program integrating cutting-edge research with marine ecosystem understanding, developing solutions for climate-resilient fish stocks and sustainable aquaculture.
• Applied Technology & Nature-Based Solutions Program Advanced technological solutions for ocean study including genomic sequencing, bio-logging, high-resolution remote sensing, and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) for non-invasive monitoring.
• Research Experiences in Marine Science (REMS) Program Marine science training and education research program for high school students, undergraduates, and graduate students, with focus on Native Hawaiian and Pacific Island students.
• Smithsonian Cryopreservation Lab World-class genomic library and frozen repository for twelve coral species, developing cryogenic preservation technology for coral reef conservation and lunar biorepository concepts.
• He'eia National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) Federal, state, and community-based partnership focused on resilient estuaries and watersheds, conducting the System-Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP) for water quality.
• Hawai'i Monitoring and Reporting Collaborative (HIMARC) Project combining datasets from scientists, government agencies, and community groups to create a unified picture of Hawai'i's nearshore marine ecosystem health.
• Coral Disease Forecasting System Early warning system developed with NOAA that predicts coral disease outbreaks using ecological and marine environmental data for proactive marine management.

Quantifiable outcome

• REMS program has served approximately 150 participants since 2013, with ~60 continuing to higher education
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability10 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Geographic Pristine SeascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership for environmental DNA (eDNA) biodiversity inventories of remote and vulnerable marine ecosystems. Dr. Brian Bowen founded the Pristine Seas eDNA lab at HIMB in 2022.
• Smithsonian InstitutioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-leadership of Smithsonian Cryopreservation Lab at HIMB. Joint research on lunar biorepository concept for storing cryopreserved biological material on the moon. Includes collaboration with Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
• NOAAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple collaborations including Coral Disease Forecasting System development, fisheries research, false killer whale studies, and NOAA Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center partnership with Franklin Lab for population assessment and essential fish habitat studies.
• Paepae o He'eiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on 800-year-old Indigenous aquaculture system (loko i'a) research. Partners who steward the He'eia ahupua'a collaborate on studies examining productivity, habitat value, and ecological significance of traditional fishponds.
• Kuleana Coral RestorationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner'Restore with Resilience' program collaboration between HIMB's Coral Resilience Lab and local nonprofit. Empowers communities on O'ahu, Kaua'i, and Maui with scientific tools for coral reef conservation through citizen science and hands-on outreach.
• Harvard Medical SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research institution on lunar biorepository paper published in BioScience, exploring cryogenic preservation of biological material on the moon.
• Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunder of 'Sharks as Oceanographers Program' supporting bathygraph tag development and deployment to collect oceanographic data via tagged sharks.
• He'eia National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal, state, and community-based partnership with vision of 'āina momona - resilient estuaries and watersheds. Includes Kūpuna Council for Hawaiian language guidance.
• Maui Ocean CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for pāpio (juvenile ulua) tag and release research project for aquaculture and stock enhancement.
• Oceanic InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in pāpio research project for aquaculture, stock enhancement, food production, and ecosystem restoration.
• Climate Resilient Aquaculture Innovation Megahub (CliRAIM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Hawai'i initiative directed by Erik Franklin, focused on advancing innovations for sustainable blue economy and food production.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL): International NGO focused on coral reef conservation through partnerships with local communities and applied science—adjacent to HIMB's community-based research and reef resilience programs, and a likely partner/funding collaborator.

Direct peers

• Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences: Independent marine research institute operating the Northeast U.S. National Sea Grant College Program and the J.J. MacIsaac Aquatic Research Facility—shares HIMB's model of grant-funded research labs in coastal ocean science with education pipelines.
• Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL): Affiliate of the University of Chicago operating research and education programs in marine biological sciences—comparable in the model of long-term ecological research stations plus graduate training.
• Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS): Australia's national tropical marine research agency focused on coral reef resilience, reef restoration, and long-term monitoring—shares HIMB's reef-conservation focus and federal funding structure, especially on the Coral Triangle/Pacific.
• Scripps Institution of Oceanography: UC San Diego's marine research powerhouse with a comparable role as a graduate marine-science research institute covering oceanography, climate, and marine biology—directly comparable to HIMB in mission, training, and federal funding model.
• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: Premier private ocean research institute operating federal-grant-funded labs across marine biology, ocean engineering, and climate—HIMB's closest structural analog in terms of grant-funded marine research portfolios and academic affiliation.
• Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI): Private ocean-research institute that develops and deploys advanced marine technology (AUVs, eDNA, deep-sea imaging) and shares HIMB's emphasis on technology-driven marine discovery and education pipelines.

Regional players

• Coral Triangle Center: Indonesia-based foundation providing training and policy support for coral reef management across the Coral Triangle—comparable to HIMB in reef-conservation capacity-building and community engagement outside the U.S.

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC): Smithsonian Institution's coastal and environmental research arm and HIMB's institutional counterpart in the Cryopreservation Lab collaboration—close peer in funding model and Smithsonian-affiliated research portfolio.
• NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center: Federal lab conducting fisheries and ecosystem science across the U.S. Pacific—a primary HIMB funder and operational partner; comparable in mandate (coral, fisheries, monk seals, sharks) but as a federal agency rather than academic unit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hawaii-institute-of-marine-biology
• Instagraminstagram.com/himb_rems

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology