IMARE
| IMARE Institute for Marine Resources |
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|---|---|
 Exterior view of the Imare |
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| Category: | research Institute |
| Facility location: | Bremerhaven |
| Type of research: | Applied research |
| Subjects: | Engineering , life sciences |
| Areas of expertise: | Marine sensors , marine aquaculture , biodiagnostics, marine structures, blue bio-industry |
| Employee: | approx. 30 |
| Homepage: | www.imare.de |
The IMARE - Institute for Marine Resources was an application-oriented research institute in Bremerhaven . It used various areas from marine research to apply them directly in a wide variety of economic areas. The aim was to close the gap between research and business. Further goals were environmentally friendly product and process concepts and the sustainable use of marine resources. The Imare was based on a joint initiative of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) and the Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences for the purpose of direct technology transfer to companies. Imare was founded on January 1st, 2009 as a GmbH and was also an affiliated institute of the Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences. By resolution of the shareholders' meeting on December 14, 2016, the IMARE was dissolved with effect from December 31, 2016.
history
The Senator for Education and Science of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen and the Bremerhaven Magistrate enabled the establishment of the new Institute for Marine Resources - Imare - as an in-institute at the Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with the Alfred Wegener Institute . The aim was to continuously incorporate the application-oriented basic maritime research in Bremen and Bremerhaven into the development of new products and processes and thus to open up marine sciences for market innovations. The Imare served as a catalyst to make scientifically sound know-how, especially in the competence network maritime resources and technologies known and immediately usable.
On January 1st, 2009 the non-profit Imare GmbH was founded. This transferred existing research expertise in the maritime area in the Bremen region to the industrial and entrepreneurial area. Its development was funded by the European Regional Development Fund until 2013 . Partners were the Association for the Promotion of Scientific Research in the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen e. V. , the Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences and the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research. The Imare was also an affiliated institute of the Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences.
Research and development, focus
The Imare is divided into the departments of marine physics and sensor technology , marine aquaculture , biodiagnostics , marine structures and blue bio-industry . It was active in these areas of expertise in both an advisory capacity and in research and development.
Marine physics and sensors
The Department of Marine Physics and Sensor Technology used both standardized methods and new approaches for monitoring the oceans, for environmental protection and for the sustainable management of aquatic resources. A special focus was on the detection of substances and organisms with bio-optical sensors and imaging processes. This included the non-contact analysis of microorganisms (e.g. zooplankton ) and suspended substances such as yellow matter , nitrate , phosphate and ammonium . Another focus was on the detection of hazardous substances and events such as oil spills and algal blooms .
Biodiagnostics
The marine biodiagnostics of IMARE dealt with biological effect monitoring in the area of the development and application of biomarkers and bioassays ( ICES - OSPAR , EU guidelines, REACH , OECD ). In addition, tests were carried out on the biological and toxic effects of new chemicals, nanomaterials and microplastics in aquatic organisms (bio-indicators). One focus was the new development of microarrays , tox sensors and biosensors for the detection of chemicals and pathogens in various media as well as the development of monitoring strategies for the coastal and marine areas of different climatic zones. There were reports in the field of environmental protection and remedial measures, such. B. ammunition waste, oil production, offshore structures or port renovations.
Since January 1, 2011, biodiagnostics no longer existed as an independent department. The department's areas of responsibility and projects have been integrated into the Marine Physics and Sensor Technology department.
Marine aquaculture
Commercial breeding of marine organisms is mainly carried out in coastal countries. The mariculture mostly focused on coastal areas or land-based flow or circulation systems. For some time now, the culture of marine organisms, decoupled from the natural marine environment, has been expanded in circulation systems, since these are location-independent and the culture conditions can be optimally adjusted for each organism. The cultural facilities in the sea are limited to protected areas immediately off the coast and the entire inshore area ( fjords , bays , rias ). Cage systems for fish and longline, pole, raft and lantern systems for the breeding of mussels and macroalgae were operated here.
Bionic lightweight construction
In the Bionic Lightweight Design department, the shells of marine plankton organisms such as diatoms and radiolarians with their complex, efficient lightweight structures were used to develop more effective designs. The corresponding technical process (word mark ELiSE, Evolutionary Light Structure Engineering ) from the field of bionics is described in a patent. The lightweight construction approach expands common optimization methods such as CAO / SKO or genetic algorithms insofar as a large number of pre-optimized solutions are made available that are adapted to the respective technical requirements with introduced methods. Accordingly, several solutions were created for a specific problem as needed. Due to a large variety of lightweight designs, the process could be used across industries. Examples are the automotive industry, architecture and offshore technology.
In addition to this purely geometric approach, the species-specific, complex exoskeletons of various plankton organisms were developed as 3-D objects with specific, unmistakable security features for product and brand protection with the help of a biotechnological selection and modification process.
Blue bio industry
The blue bio-industry developed concepts for the environmentally friendly handling of biofouling and for the use of biofilms for microbial energy generation in an aquatic environment in the form of sediment batteries. The focus was on the diagnosis of microbial communities on bioelectrodes and anti-fouling coatings, analysis of hydromechanical loads on overgrown surfaces and the development of functional surfaces to control biofouling . The fields of application included sensory sensor technology, offshore ocean energy, open water aquaculture and seawater desalination.
International Conference - 'Marine Resources and Beyond'
The institute organized the first international conference 'Marine Resources and Beyond' in Bremerhaven from 5th to 7th September 2011. With the involvement of regional research institutions and companies, a positive further development of the overall topic and a strengthening of the marine innovation area Bremerhaven / Bremen should be achieved. The conference was divided into various work sessions, which were initiated by the individual departments of IMARE with the involvement of other partners. Sessions were planned on the following topics:
- Blue Photonics - Optics in the Sea
- Mariculture Innovations
- Bionic Lightweight Structures
- Bioengineering Aquatic Environments
- Biosensors
There were also summarizing and cross-session event elements with the aim of creating international networks and promoting synergies. This included the icebreaker, joint opening speeches, a joint conference dinner or the merging of sessions in individual parts. The venue was the Atlantic Hotel Sail City in Bremerhaven.
Employees and management
In November 2010, Imare employed 35 people, 90 percent of them in the scientific and technical field. Scientific managing director and institute director was Gerold Wefer. The commercial manager was Birgit Borowy, who was appointed liquidator after the dissolution.
Web links
- Official website ( Memento of October 21, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
- ELiSE - Evolutionary Light Structure Engineering
- Homepage of the imare conference 'Marine Resources and Beyond 2011'
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Deletion: IMARE - Institute for Marine Resources GmbH. Fischmagazin, January 5, 2017, accessed on September 12, 2018 .
Coordinates: 53 ° 32 '7 " N , 8 ° 34' 54" E