MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, is a centre for research, technological development and innovation, with an integrative and holistic approach, concentrating a wide diversity of expertise, skills, and capabilities, with a nationwide territorial implementation, that develops its activities oriented to societal challenges, in close partnership with national and international research centres.

MARE is a multipolar RD&I Centre, presently with seven poles, six of them located at higher education campus in Portuguese mainland, respectively University of Coimbra (MARE-UCoimbra), Polytechnic of Leiria (MARE-IPLeiria), University of Lisbon (MARE-ULisboa), NOVA University of Lisbon (MARE-NOVA), ISPA (MARE-ISPA), and University of Évora (MARE-UÉvora), plus one pole in the Madeira archipelago (MARE-Madeira).

MARE combines expertise allowing approaching scientifically and technologically all types of aquatic systems, from river basins and associated landscapes, to estuaries, coastal, and large marine ecosystems.

MARE benefits from facilities, marine field stations and equipment. MARE-UCoimbra holds an advanced laboratory, MAREFOZ, located at the Figueira da Foz Business Incubator. All MARE poles provide offices and classrooms, meeting and videoconference rooms and fully equipped laboratories, some having a multi-functional nature, while others are quite unique and equipped with specific and high-technology systems.

MARE facilities make the centre an international reference for the use and management of scientific resources and ocean platforms.