Introduction to the Institute of Oceanology

The Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOCAS), which is located in Qingdao, Shandong Province, was founded in 1950. It is the first ocean research institute in China. 

During its 63-year history, the institute has trained around 1,000 senior scientists and technicians. At present, the institute has nearly 500 scientific and technical personnel, including 175 senior research technicians and 101 doctoral instructors.

The institute is home to five CAS key laboratories in the fields of experimental marine biology; marine ecology and environmental sciences; ocean circulation and wave studies; marine geology and environment; and marine corrosion and protection. It also has an institute-level key laboratory devoted to marine organism taxonomy and phylogeny studies.

The institute also has three R&D centers, which are devoted, respectively, to marine biotechnology; marine environmental engineering, and marine corrosion and protection. 

In addition to the above facilities, IOCAS has the Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Corrosion and Environment Sciences as well as the Jiaozhou Bay National Marine Ecosystem Research Station; the CAS Regional Center for Marine Science; and the Supercomputing Center. These facilities form a multidisciplinary research system that covers all major areas of marine science.

The CAS Marine Biological Specimen Museum is the largest of its kind in China and houses the most comprehensive collection in Asia, with more than 778,000 specimens. The museum has 1,475 type specimens discovered and named by institute scientists. Among its specimens, more than 50,000 have been digitized and nearly 30,000 have achieved digital sharing.

The CAS Mariculture Core Gene Bank has preserved 60 macro and micro marine alga species and more than 1,000 culture systems, thus providing support for the sustainable development of China’s aquaculture industry.

The institute’s marine research fleet comprises three main research ships, Science I, Science III and Kexue (“Science”). The latter is a national state-of-the-art masterpiece. At 99.8 m in length, 17.8 m in width, and with a draught of 8.9 m, Kexue has a range of 15,000 nautical miles and has a crew of 80. The fleet has sailed all over China’s territorial waters as well as into deep-ocean waters, making outstanding contributions to China’s marine science.

IOCAS is the only unit granting marine science A-class doctorates among China’s marine research institutes. It has enrolled graduate students since 1956. Since 1979, IO has enrolled more than 1,600 students, ranking first among national marine research institutions. The institute has 12 units granting doctorates, 10 units granting master’s degrees, and three units granting professional engineering master’s degrees.

Since its founding, the institute has established long-term relationships with scientific research institutes from more than 40 countries or regions. There are 53 scientists from IOCAS representing China holding various positions in many major international scientific organizations. The institute has also hosted several international scientific conferences including the 11th International Seaweed Symposium, the 9th International Marine Biotechnology Conference, the 4th International Conference on Asian Marine Geology, the 8th conference on Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans, etc. IOCAS is actively involved in about 100 international marine research programs, such as the Sino-Japanese East China Sea Marine Flux Study, the Sino-American Ocean Current and Sedimentation Study in the South Yellow Sea, the Sino-Norwegian Marine Biodisease Prevention Program, the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere-Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Response Experiment (TOGA COARE), the Sino-South Korean Joint Investigation of the Yellow Sea, the Sino-Japanese Marine Corrosion Environment and Control Study, and the EU 6th Framework Program.