our story

The Millennium Institute of Oceanography (IMO) is a Center of Excellence funded by the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID), under the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation of Chile. Established in 2013, the Institute began a second funding period in December 2025, consolidating more than a decade of excellence in oceanographic research. Hosted by the University of Concepción, IMO brings together researchers from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, the University of Chile, the Universidad Austral de Chile, and the Universidad Andrés Bello, promoting interdisciplinary frontier research on the ocean and its processes. Throughout its history, IMO has led some of the most important oceanographic expeditions carried out by Chile, positioning the country as a reference in open and deep-ocean exploration and in the study of the Atacama Trench.