The institute is the heritage of 80 years of institutional oceanology in Romania, starting with 1926 and 1932, moments of establishing of the first marine research institutes, created by prof. Ioan BORCEA and by prof. Grigore ANTIPA.

Nowadays, the institute is a representative national organization with a pluridisciplinary and interdisciplinary structure and functioning under the coordination of the Ministry of Environment and Water Management. NIMRD carries out basic, applied and technological research, crucial for the knowledge, protection and management of the coastal zone and marine environment, oceanography, marine and coastal engineering, also management of the marine living resources in the Black Sea and Planetary Ocean.

It is the support for solving the national and international problems regarding Romanian marine sector and the Black Sea Exclusive Economical Area, according to the Romania’s tasks assumed within the international conventions regarding its activity. Also, NIMRD insure the national, regional and European marine strategies/ plans implementation.

According to the establishing legal document, NIMRD is the technical operator of the physic, chemical and biological national network for marine waters and for coastal erosion surveillance.

The main national and international responsibilities of the NIMRD are:

• The chair and the secretariat of the Romanian National Oceanography Committee / National Commission of the Romania for UNESCO, since 2004;

• Permanent Technical Secretariat of the National Committee of the Coastal Zone, under the authority of the Ministry of Environment and Water Management (Law 280/ 2003.06.24, regarding the integrate coastal zone management, art. 68.3/sect. A 4-a);

• Activities coordination and registered office of International Secretariat for South-Eastern Europe of Balkan Environment Association (B.EN.A.), and of training centre for environmental professions (B.EN.A.)/ NIMRD, since 2002;

• Activities coordination and registered office for GEF/ Black Sea Programme related Regional Activity Centre for Environmental Aspects of Fisheries and Other Marine Living Resources Management and 5 national focal points( Monitoring and assessment of the marine pollution, On land pollution sources control, Developing the common methodologies for ICZM, Preservation of the biological biodiversity, Environmental aspects regarding the fisheries and resources management), since 1994;

• Vice- presidency of the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contigous Atlantic Area/ ACCOBAMS, representative for the Black Sea in the Scientific Committee of the body and the national focal point of the Agreement, since 2004;

• The custody of the 2 Mai – Vama Veche Marine Reserve (Constantza EPA’ certificate/11.06.2004);

• Scientific representation of Romania in international organizations (UNESCO/COI, CIESM, FAO, CGPM, CECAF, ICES, NATO, GEF/Black Sea, ACCOBAMS) is being constantly assured by NIMRD.