The inspiration for CMER came in part from the highly successful COOP program of the US Fish and Wildlife Service that co-located research units on college campuses. However, it was intended from the beginning that CMER take the next step and provide for greater university involvement in addressing agency research needs and tackle the problem of training future experts in the area of marine science.

Organization

Each CMER program is organized around a coordinating committee and director. The committee is composed of agency and university representatives, and meets annually to set research priorities and program direction. The director is a senior agency scientist who administers the program while also participating in the research and education activities of the academic institution.