Ifremer is a public research institute of industrial and commercial nature with the purpose to develop basic and applied research, expertise activities and industrial and technological development actions aiming at the identification, evaluation, forecasting and sustainable exploitation of marine resources, the protection and enhancement of marine and coastal environments, the encouragement of the economic development of maritime activity.

The Ifremer department (REM) involved in the MERCES project and in charge of deep-sea physical resources and ecosystems has carried the Institut Carnot label since 2006 (Institut Carnot - Ifremer Edrome). The Label Carnot seeks to promote collaborative research, i.e. the conduct of research by public laboratories in partnership with socio-economic stakeholders primarily including businesses (ranging from small and medium-sized businesses to large groups).