In 2010, French universities involved in marine sciences (research, higher education and observation) decided to create a network to coordinate their efforts in order to enhance their European investment and efficiency in the European Research Area. As of May 2016, fifteen universities from Channel, Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea are part of the group. The organisation is made up of several university representatives, from Aix-Marseille, Bordeaux, Brest (UBO), Caen, La Rochelle, Lille/Wimereux, Lorient-Vannes (UBS), Montpellier, Nantes, Nice Sophia-Antipolis, Paris-Banyuls-Roscoff-Villefranche (UPMC), Perpignan, ULCO/Wimereux, Toulon and Toulouse.