Since its very beginnings, CEI·MAR has had an international perspective of its own role. The consortium is the only Excellence Campus in Spain being a cross-border and trans-continental one at the moment of its creation. The five coastal Universities in Andalusia plus the University of Algarve (Portugal) and the Université Abedelmalek Essaadi (Morocco) only anticipated its development as a worldwide reference point in the marine studies on all knowledge areas. Gathering in a single framework the research groups and facilities of the seven Universities provides a platform for the international cooperation that is reinforced by the collaboration with other research institutions such as the Spanish Oceanography Institute (Instituto Español de Oceanografía, IEO), the Hydrography Institute of the Spanish Army (IHM), the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and companies (Navantia, Telefónica, among many others).
From this starting point, CEI·MAR has designed and developed a strategy to increase its international exposure through the idea of making of CeiMar the tool and the space where opportunities for joint research projects, development of academic cooperation, social development of the areas where the partners are located, entrepreneurship and employment creation can be found for partners all over the world. Up to now, universities and institutions from five continents work with and/or joined to CEI·MAR.
The internationalisation strategy of CEI·MAR is scheduled through three mainstream areas:
The internationalisation commission is a working group formed by representatives of the seven Universities of the consortium and the IEO that undertakes the development of the international strategy and makes suggestions to the international policy of the consortium. The group is coordinated by the University of Almeria and meets on a monthly base to follow up the development of the different ongoing projects and to look for new opportunities at international calls and events.
