Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research (IOLR) () is a government company and the national research institute. The company was officially established in 1967 to create a database of knowledge for the sustainable use and protection of IsraelâÂÂs marine, coastal and aquatic resources.
IOLR engages in research and development in marine sciences (oceanography), lake sciences (limnology), and aquaculture. IOLR operates within the framework of the research institutes affiliated with the Directorate of Research for Earth sciences in the Ministry of National Infrastructures.
IOLR includes three research institutes:
In addition, in the Haifa unit (NIC), educational programs are delivered to children and high school teens to make science accessible to all and particularly bring young people closer to the scientific world, via fascinating and cutting-edge marine research.
Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research was established following the recommendation of a committee headed by Prof. Moshe Shiloh, which recommended that all marine research be concentrated under one government institute. The company was founded in August 1966 by Major General (retd.) Yochai Ben Nun, and the building of the National Institute of Oceanography near Tel Shikmona in Haifa is named after him. In February 1967, a research station in Eilat and the Kinneret Limnological Laboratory at the Sapir site were opened as branches of the institute. In 1969, it was decided to build the institute's building on the coast of Shikmona, with joint funding from philanthropist Shmuel Lunenfeld and the Israeli government. The building was inaugurated in 1976.
IOLR focuses on research, monitoring, assessment and prediction of the state of the sea areas adjacent to the State of Israel (the Eastern Mediterranean and the Gulf of Eilat) and its inland waters (the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea) and of the environmental problems in these aquatic bodies. The research effort in the fields of aquaculture and biotechnology focuses on developing technologies for using marine organisms as a source of food and biochemicals. This diverse activity of research, environmental monitoring, and biotechnological developments combines many scientific disciplines, including physics, chemistry, biology, geology, and ecology, and is carried out in collaboration with universities and research institutes in Israel and around the world.
IOLR participates in regional and global research and monitoring programs, assists developing countries in its fields of expertise, and represents Israel in the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC/UNESCO) and in the Mediterranean Science Commission(CIESM).
IOLR focuses on three main objectives:
IOLR research institutes have professional capabilities and research means that include: research vessels in the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee, equipment for marine mapping and data collection in the sea and the Sea of Galilee, analytical laboratories, and experimental systems with flowing seawater. The National Institute of Oceanography houses the National Marine Information Center, which centralizes, documents, and disseminates data and information on Israel's marine environment.
IOLR Provides diverse services in its areas of expertise, including conducting marine surveys and laboratory tests, seabed mapping, environmental monitoring and preparation of environmental impact assessments, and professional consulting.