The CSIC is a State Agency dedicated to multidisciplinary scientific and technological research, with the mission of promoting, coordinating, and disseminating knowledge for economic, social, and cultural development. The Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO), as a National Center of the CSIC, focuses on research in marine sciences, the sustainability of fishery resources, and the marine environment, carrying out both basic and applied research and providing scientific and technological services. The IEO has aquaculture facilities and a fleet of research vessels, including the new *Odón de Buen*, for deep-sea missions. In addition, the IEO-CSIC contributes two research groups with expertise in marine species cultivation and oceanographic process studies, collaborating in national and international projects with top-tier research teams. The PHYSIS group specializes in diversifying marine species and developing sustainable cultivation techniques, with experience in national and international projects. It also operates an 8,000 m² experimental marine cultivation facility. The OCAM group focuses on the study of oceanographic processes at both global and local scales in the Canary Islands, covering marine geology, and physical, chemical, and biological processes. Both groups participate in EU projects and have experience in cultivating and isolating marine microorganisms.
IEO in NATUR-EXT: The IEO will be responsible for the selection and collection of various marine organisms with potential for the extraction of emerging products of commercial interest. These organisms include low-trophic-level invertebrates such as echinoderms or sponges, which can be cultivated in captivity using aquaculture effluents in multitrophic systems. In this regard, the capabilities of the cultivation facility will be essential, as they allow for the adaptation of culture conditions during the various developmental stages of these organisms, generating value from their waste products. Marine organisms and microorganisms collected during oceanographic campaigns will also be selected, using oceanographic bottles or remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs). The IEO has its own fleet and an ROV used for research activities in both open waters—covering the entire water column—and in sediments and hydrothermal effluents associated with submarine volcanism. These research activities grant access to organisms and microorganisms across a broad range of surface trophic conditions—from the oligotrophic waters west of the islands to the nutrient-rich areas near the Saharan upwelling. Moreover, deep-sea and hydrothermal field campaigns offer the possibility of obtaining extremophile microorganisms adapted to extreme conditions of temperature, pressure, or pH, with potential biotechnological interest.
Go to the website of the Spanish National Research Council – Spanish Institute of Oceanography