Io Ran, Fgbu

What Io Ran, Fgbu does

The Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences (IO RAN) is a federal state budgetary institution founded in 1946 and headquartered in Moscow, Russia. It is the country's oldest and largest dedicated oceanographic research body, operating under the institutional mandate of the Russian Academy of Sciences. IO RAN conducts comprehensive World Ocean research across four scientific divisions: physical oceanography, geological oceanography, marine ecology, and marine engineering. Its infrastructure includes a dedicated scientific research fleet and five regional branches located in Kaliningrad (Atlantic), Gelendzhik (Southern), Saint Petersburg, the North-Western region, and Astrakhan (Caspian), enabling geographically distributed marine operations across Russian and adjacent waters.

The institute develops and deploys proprietary instrumentation for oceanographic observation, including the TNPA Gnom-Kh, Mesoscan-T sonar, Videmodule BNPA, Anfezh sorption system, and SeaVision platform, with the PSPRM underwater radiation monitoring station in active development as a joint project with the Kurchatov Institute. Scientific leadership is provided by Scientific Supervisor Academician Robert Iskanderovich Nigmatulin, with Roman Vyacheslavovich Gorbunov serving as Acting Director as of February 2026.

IO RAN operates as a non-commercial state entity: it does not sell products to commercial customers and has no private revenue model. Funding flows from Russian federal budget allocations through the Russian Academy of Sciences. Recent strategic activity centers on partnerships with the Kurchatov Institute and EMERCOM of Russia (МЧС) for Arctic nuclear-safety monitoring, an MOU with KazNIICM for Caspian Sea cooperation, and collaboration with the Astrakhan Biosphere Reserve and Russian Geographical Society. The institute marks its 80th anniversary in 2026.

Name

Io Ran, Fgbu

Legal name

Федеральное государственное бюджетное учреждение науки Институт океанологии им. П.П. Ширшова Российской академии наук

Website

https://ocean.ru

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

IO RAN is Russia's flagship federal oceanographic research institute under the Russian Academy of Sciences, operating a scientific fleet and five regional branches to conduct physical, geological, marine-ecological, and marine-engineering research. It serves Russian state science priorities rather than commercial customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Research Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYIMAJAJAI

Marine Sensors, Instrumentation & IoT (Condition Monitoring)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Marine & Shipbuilding/Marine Electrical, Automation & Navigation Systems

SECONDARYEUAKAJAG

Nonproliferation Technology & Detection (radiation portal monitors, RPMs, spectroscopy, forensics)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Nuclear Energy/Nuclear Security, Safeguards & Nonproliferation (Physical & Cyber)

SECONDARYIMAJAFAJ

Underwater Inspection, Maintenance & Repair (UWILD, Diving/ROV, In-water Cleaning)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Marine & Shipbuilding/Ship Repair, Maintenance & Conversion (MRO)

SECONDARYIMAJAOAC

Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) & Autonomous Submersible Manufacturing

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Marine & Shipbuilding/Submarine Manufacturing

SECONDARYEUAKAIAL

Nuclear Materials Testing, Assay & Characterization Services (NDA/NDE, radiochemistry, materials analysis)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Nuclear Energy/Nuclear Materials, Radiation Services & Isotopes (Medical/Industrial)

SECONDARYEUAKAGAF

Repository siting & site investigations (geology, hydrogeology, seismic, EIA support)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Nuclear Energy/Radioactive Waste Management & Disposal (LLW/ILW/HLW, Repositories)

Keywords

• Oceanographic research
• Marine scientific expeditions
• Arctic environmental studies
• Marine geology research
• Submerged nuclear monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Moscow

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Государственное задание / State Budget Funding: As a Federal State Budgetary Institution of Science (FGBSU), the institute is primarily funded through state assignments from the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education. Research activities are conducted under state-ordered research programs including Arctic rehabilitation, environmental monitoring, and fundamental oceanographic studies.

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IO RAN is Russia's oldest and largest oceanographic research institute, conducting comprehensive World Ocean studies across physical oceanography, marine geology and geochemistry, marine ecology, and marine engineering. The institute operates the Russian national scientific fleet of research vessels for marine expeditions worldwide, runs five regional branches across Russia, and undertakes specialized Arctic nuclear safety monitoring of submerged radioactive objects such as nuclear submarine K-27 in Stepovoy Bay.

Product overview

Io Ran, Fgbu (Институт океанологии им. П.П. Ширшова Российской академии наук / Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences) is a federal state budget-funded research institution and the oldest and largest Russian research center in the field of oceanology. Founded in 1946, the institute conducts comprehensive research across four main scientific directions: Physical Oceanography, Geological Oceanography and Geochemistry, Marine Ecology, and Marine Engineering. The institute operates a scientific fleet consisting of vessels such as the research ships 'Akademik Ioffe', 'Akademik Nikolai Strakhov', and 'Akademik Boris Petrov'. It also manages regional branches including the Atlantic Branch (Kaliningrad), Southern Branch (Gelendzhik), Saint Petersburg Branch, North-Western Branch, and Caspian Branch (Astrakhan). The institute offers doctoral programs (аспирантура), publishes scientific journals, conducts expeditions, and operates carbon polygon research sites for environmental monitoring.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Marine scientific expedition services Operation of the Russian national scientific research vessel fleet for oceanographic expeditions worldwide, including Akademik IOFFE, Akademik Boris Petrov, Akademik Mstislav Keldysh, and Akademik Nikolai Strakhov. Expeditions are typically staffed by approximately 40 scientific specialists and may involve 5 partner organizations.
• Arctic submerged nuclear object monitoring service Specialized monitoring of submerged nuclear submarines and radioactive waste burial sites using the TNPA «Гном-Х» teleoperated underwater vehicle equipped with the REM-4-50 gamma spectrometer and the «Анфеж» sorption-filtration installation. Includes the development and deployment of a permanent underwater radiation monitoring station in Stepovoy Bay near the K-27 site.
• Postgraduate targeted education (аспирантура) Targeted postgraduate aspirantura and basic departments in physical oceanography, marine geology and geochemistry, marine ecology, and marine engineering. Includes dissertations defended through the institute's dissertation council.
• GEOTRACES Russia program operations Russian implementation of the international GEOTRACES program studying marine biogeochemical cycles and the distribution of trace elements and isotopes in the World Ocean.

Quantifiable outcome

• Comprehensive studies of submerged nuclear submarine K-27 in Stepovoy Bay, Novaya Zemlya, for nuclear safety assessment
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Казахский научно-исследовательский институт Каспийского моря (КазНИИКМ)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 November 2025Memorandum of scientific and technical cooperation signed between IO RAS and KazNIICM for joint studies of Caspian Sea problems and environmental issues.
• НИЦ «Курчатовский институт»coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2025Long-term strategic partnership for joint expeditions studying submerged nuclear objects in the Arctic. Jointly conducts research on the nuclear submarine K-27 and radioactive waste burial sites under the program 'Scientific and technological support for rehabilitation of the Arctic region from submerged objects with spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste (RAW).'
• МЧС РоссииcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Joint participation in expeditions for monitoring and assessing the environmental safety of submerged nuclear objects in the Russian Arctic, including the nuclear submarine K-27 and radioactive waste burial sites.
• Астраханский государственный биосферный заповедникminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Joint expeditions to the Volga Delta and Caspian Sea shelf for biogeochemical studies and environmental monitoring.
• Русское географическое обществоminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Support for publication of scientific monographs and atlases on Russian Arctic, geomporphology of coastal systems.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• National Oceanography Centre (NOC, UK): UK government-funded center operating research vessels and autonomous marine platforms for ocean science; comparable in mission (state-funded multidisciplinary oceanography with fleet operations) and capabilities (AUV/ROV fleet, sensors).
• Scripps Institution of Oceanography: UC San Diego's oceanographic research arm operating a research fleet and conducting physical, geological, biological, and chemical oceanography with extensive expedition programs — directly analogous scope to IO RAS.
• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: One of the world's largest private oceanographic research institutions; highly comparable to IO RAS as a comprehensive ocean research center operating research vessels, deep-sea vehicles, and multidisciplinary marine science programs.
• GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel: German government-funded marine research center with deep-sea technology, marine sensors, and ocean expeditions — closely comparable as a publicly-funded European ocean science institution with ROV/AUV capabilities.
• Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (IMR/Havforskningsinstituttet): Norwegian government marine research agency with its own research vessels and broad oceanographic, ecological, and monitoring mission — a direct functional peer in the government-oceanographic institute category.
• Ifremer (French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea): France's national marine research institution operating a fleet of research vessels, deep-sea ROVs (e.g. Nautile), and underwater engineering — directly analogous in scope and fleet to IO RAS.

Others

• P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology (Kurchatov Institute partnership): National Research Centre Kurchatov Institute, which co-develops the Anfezh sorption-filtration unit with IO RAS and is a strategic partner on Arctic nuclear submerged-object expeditions.

Direct peers

• Russian Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AANII): Russia's other major polar/oceanographic state research institute in St. Petersburg, frequently co-publishing with IO RAS and serving as a peer Russian Academy of Sciences institution for Arctic marine and climate research.
• Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research: Germany's premier polar and marine research institute operating Polarstern-class research vessels and conducting Arctic-focused marine expeditions, including radiation and climate monitoring — directly comparable to IO RAS's Arctic nuclear and climate programs.
• Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOCAS): The Chinese national oceanographic research institute, often viewed as a counterpart to IO RAS within BRICS-aligned scientific cooperation; runs research vessels, ROVs, and broad ocean science programs under CAS.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shirshov-institute-of-oceanology

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Io Ran, Fgbu