Centers

The Ancona site was founded in 1968 as the Fishing Technology Laboratory, later becoming the Institute for Marine Fisheries Research (IRPEM). In 2001 it became a Secondary Office of CNR-ISMAR, before merging into CNR-IRBIM, initially as a Secondary Office and subsequently (July 2026) as the Headquarters.

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Capo Granitola

The CNR scientific hub at Capo Granitola originates from the restoration and enhancement of the historic Tre Fontane Tuna Trap, one of the most important historical complexes for tuna fishing in the province of Trapani. Located at a fishing site active since the early 17th century, the tuna trap took on its present configuration at the end of the 19th century, with the construction of the structures used for tuna fishing and processing. Its restoration transformed it into a modern CNR research centre, initially established as a Secondary Office of CNR-IAMC, later merging into CNR-IAS (2018) and, since July 2026, into CNR-IRBIM. From the same date, the site also hosts a Secondary Office of CNR-ISMAR.

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Genova

The original nucleus of the Genoa site was established on 25 April 1940 as a laboratory dedicated to the study of marine corrosion of metals, which in 1968 became the Institute for Marine Corrosion of Metals (CNR-ICMM). In March 1990 it moved into the premises of the original core of the Genoa Research Area, where it is still located today. Over the following decade, the site's activities expanded to include marine biology and ecology topics focused on the interaction of technologies and materials with the marine environment (protection and impacts). Subsequently, in 2001, it became a Secondary Office of the new Institute of Marine Sciences (CNR-ISMAR) until 2018, when it became a Secondary Office and then the Headquarters of the Institute for the Study of Anthropogenic Impacts and Sustainability in the Marine Environment (CNR-IAS), until July 2026, when it joined CNR-IRBIM.

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Lesina

The Lesina Center was born as an Institute for the Biological Exploitation of the Lagoons in 1968. It later became the Institute for the Study of Coastal Ecosystems (1996), Secondary Office of ISMAR CNR (2001) and then joined the IRBIM Institute.

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Mazara del Vallo

The Mazara del Vallo site was founded in 1981 as the Institute for the Technology of Fishing and Fishery Products, later (1998) renamed the Institute for Research on Marine Resources and the Environment (IRMA). In October 2001, with the establishment of the Institute for Coastal Marine Environment (IAMC), based in Naples, it merged into the new Institute, together with other institutes in southern Italy. The subsequent reorganization of the CNR marine research institutes in September 2018 placed it within CNR-IRBIM, of which it became a Secondary Office.

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Messina

The Messina site was founded in 1916 as the Central Institute of Marine Biology, following the establishment of the Royal Thalassographic Committee, which held "executive functions for the physical, chemical, and biological study of the Italian seas, mainly in relation to the shipping and fishing industry, and for the exploration of the upper atmosphere with regard to air navigation." It later became the Experimental Thalassographic Institute (1954) and subsequently, through a reorganization of the CNR, merged into the National Coordination Institute for Marine Sciences (ISMARE, in 1995) and later (in 2001) into the Institute for Coastal Marine Environment (IAMC). In 2018 it became the Headquarters of CNR-IRBIM, before becoming a Secondary Office (2026).

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Oristano

The first nucleus of the Oristano site was established in 1999 as a section of the Institute of Cybernetics and Biophysics in Genoa, later merging (2001) into CNR-IAMC. In 2018 it was integrated into CNR-IAS as a Secondary Office, before merging into CNR-IRBIM (2026).

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Palermo

The Palermo site was established in 2020 as a Secondary Office of CNR-IAS, hosted in the premises of ISPRA within the Roosevelt monumental complex, before relocating (September 2024) to its current premises at the University of Palermo. In July 2026 it merged into CNR-IRBIM.

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Taranto

The Taranto site was founded in 1914 as the State Marine Biology Laboratory. Subsequently, in 1941, it joined the CNR under the name "A. Cerruti" Thalassographic Institute. In 2001 it became a Secondary Office of CNR-IAMC, then a Secondary Office of CNR-IRSA (in 2018), and today it is a Secondary Office of CNR-IRBIM (2026).

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Ancona

Capo Granitola

Genova

Lesina

Mazara del Vallo

Messina

Oristano

Palermo

Taranto

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