IMEV
Villefranche Oceanography Laboratory (Institute de la mer de Villefranche sur mer)
Infrastructure Profile
Infrastructure Provider
Location
Villefranche sur mer, France
Organisation & Address
181, Chemin du Lazaret, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
Maximum Number of Days Available
For each project, 90 days
Overview
Equipment & Service Components Available
EMBRC-France-IMEV offers the following services/equipment:
1.Biobanks
2.Culture collections
3.Marine model organisms
4.Organisms collected in the wild
5.Coastal research vessels
6.Sampling equipment
7.Scientific diving
8.Aquaria and tanks
9.Dry laboratories
10.Wet laboratories
11.In-house lodging
12.Imaging
Testing and Analyses Facilitated
The above listed services facilitate access to the following:
- Biobanks: Cryopreserved samples
- Culture collections: The Mediterranean Culture Collection of Villefranche (MCCV) is a collection of marine microplanktonic organisms isolated mainly from Mediterranean Sea and especially from the Bay of Villefranche. Those protists can be auto-, mixo- or hetero-trophic organisms. Currently, MCCV is focused on dinoflagellates and diatoms. The Mediterranean Culture Collection of Villefranche also maintains some benthic unicellular auto- or mixo-trophic strains, such as the toxic genus Ostreopsis and the associated microalgae. More info on this website
- Marine model organisms: Clytia hemisphaerica (all life stages), Phallusia, Ciona, Botryllus, Paracentrotus lividus. Platform name: CRBM
- Organisms collected in the wild: Species sampled at Villefranche Bay
- Coastal research vessels: Coastal research vessel for access to Villefranche Bay. Platform name: Moyens à la Mer (MAM)
- Sampling equipment: Planktonic nets
- Scientific diving: Diving expertise and basic equipment for diving at Villefranche Bay (compressor, adapted rooms). Platform name: Moyens à la Mer (MAM)
- Aquaria and tanks: Aquaria from 5 to 60 L, Kreisel tanks (from 2 to 90 L), temperature and photoperiod controlled conditions. Platform name: Service Aquariologie (SA CRBM)
- Dry laboratories: Dry lab for molecular biology (PCR, microbiology) and plancton observation
- Wet laboratories: Lab for the setup of experimental protocols and for sample observation (binocular)
- In-house lodging: In-house lodging available upon use of experimental facilities, biological resources or ecosystem access
- Imaging: Quantitative Imagery (flow Cam, underwater vision profiler, zooscan). Microscopy imagery (confocal and full field microscopy). Platform name: PIQv and PIM
Size and Capacity/Volume and Throughput
Whenever applicable and available, this information is detailed in the description above
Scientific and Technical Specifications
General Information
The Institut de la MEr de Villefranche (IMEV) is located on the Ligurian coast between Nice and Monaco in the bay of Villefranche which is known internationally for its richness of offshore pelagic organisms.
IMEV is composed of two joint laboratories (LBDV: Developmental Biology Laboratory and LOV: Oceanography Laboratory) and has become a world-renown research and training centre in marine ecology, oceanography and developmental biology, with about 200 staff on a 10,000 m² campus.
IMEV operates and maintains one of the three longest-running deep marine environmental monitoring stations in the world, and an important long-term pelagic observation programme. IMEV’s research topics include developmental biology, pelagic and coastal oceanography at regional and global scales, biological and biogeochemical cycles in marine environment, carbon cycling, phytoplankton production and biological diversity of zooplankton communities.
Support offered to AQUARIUS users
A typical access process involves 1-2 persons for a duration of one month. Planning: Usually started remotely; Setting Up and Monitoring: Experiments or ecosystem access are arranged and monitored. For longer experiments, the service provider may set them up, and the visit focuses on monitoring, finalizing experiments, collecting samples, and preparing them for transport; Sample Analysis: Some samples may be analyzed locally in laboratories and technological platforms; Responsibilities: Users handle paperwork and shipment costs for special materials, reagents, or equipment. A User Access contract must be signed between the host institution and the user’s home institution; Seminars: Visitors are invited to present at the weekly seminar program
Infrastructure Availability and Contact Details
Year 2025
Available all-year round
Year 2026
Available all-year round
Year 2027
Available all-year round
Contact email for applicants to discuss the initial feasibility of their work while they prepare their application
Raffaela Cattaneo (raffaela.cattaneo[at]imev-mer.fr, cc to: access[at]embrc-france.fr)