The ICBM cooperates closely with the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology und MARUM, both located in Bremen; with the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven, as well as with the Senckenberg Institute by the Sea and the Jade University of Applied Sciences, both located in Wilhelmshaven. The ICBM is a member of the German Marine Research Consortium (KDM) and of the Northwest Marine Research Association (NWMV).