Created by decree in 1984, Ifremer is a public institute of industrial and commercial nature. It is placed under the joint supervision of the ministries for Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and Town and Country Planning ; for Higher Education and Research ; for Agriculture and Fisheries.
Key figures:
an annual budget of around 235 million euros
personnel: Ifremer 1.500; Genavir (ship owner) 375 
5 centres (Manche/mer du Nord, Brest, Nantes, Toulon, Tahiti) 
26 locations along the entire coastline of metropolitan France and in French overseas regions 
8 research vessels (4 of them ocean class), 1 manned submersible, 1 remotely-operated vehicle for deep sea explorations (- 6000 m), 2 AUVs 
a full set of test facilities