Michael Sars Centre History
The Michael Sars Centre was established in 1997 as an independent research centre, and on January 1, 2023, it was incorporated into the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Bergen.
Main content
During the early 1990s, an evaluation of aquaculture research expressed the need for more basic research on marine organisms using molecular biology. At the same time, the Gene Technology committee of the Research Council of Norway, presided by Professor Hans Prydz (UiO) recognized the benefit that the presence of EMBL (the European Molecular Biology Laboratory) has provided to this research area in its host countries.
The Michael Sars Centre was established in 1997.
Start-up funding was obtained in 1996 from the Research Council of Norway (NFR), the Ministry of Education and Research, and the University of Bergen. It was used to recruit 5 groups in operation from 1999. From 2003, when EMBL attributed to the Michael Sars Centre one of its few partnerships, funding for 10 years from NFR with a gradually increased contribution from UiB permitted an expansion up to 8 research groups. The Centre then received another ten years of funding for the period 2013-2022 from the same sources and it currently hosts 6 full research groups and one associated group from UiB.
The Michael Sars Centre is located in the modern facilities of the Bergen High Technology Centre at Marineholmen, together with three other University of Bergen departments of the Faculty of Science and Technology (Molecular Biology and Biology now merged, and Informatics). It was originally placed within a research foundation (UNIFOB) controlled by the University of Bergen. This foundation was then transformed into UNI RESEARCH AS. In 2015, the Michael Sars Centre was integrated into the University, though placed outside faculties and reporting to the Rector via its own Board. Evaluations of the research groups and recruitment of group leaders are carried out using the recommendations of the Sars Centre Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), composed of external members from the international community.
Like at EMBL, Michael Sars Centre group leaders obtain funding and have access to excellent infrastructures for a limited period of time (6 + 4 years), after which they can be appointed at local or foreign institutions. All groups currently appointed carry out basic research acting on the research program "comparative molecular biology of marine animals". Other programs may be established in the future as new groups are hired. The program is defined by the Sars Centre Director and the SAC and described in the contract with NFR.
Sars research comprises various studies of the basic biological processes in marine animals using functional and comparative molecular methods. Developmental mechanisms and their evolution are at present the major focus of our research. Sars research currently involves studies on a variety of marine invertebrates. Marine species cannot be ignored by molecular biologists because most animal branches are predominantly or exclusively marine. New marine model systems may be established when they permit various types of experimentation including genetic analysis.
Marineholmen Research Station 1898
Michael Sars
During his prolific career Bergen marine biologist Michael Sars (1805 – 1869), described more than 200 marine species, which he collected in the local fjords. He was Norway’s most significant naturalist in the first half of the 19th century founding the country’s strong academic tradition in marine research.
- 1805: Michael Sars was born in Bergen, Norway
- 1818-1823: Attended Bergen Cathedral School
- 1823: Began his studies at the Royal Frederick University in Christiania
- 1829: Published his first work, the Natural History of Invertebrates
- 1835: Published Descriptions and Observations of some strange or new animals found off the coast of Bergen, in which he describes for the first time the complete life cycle of a scyphozoan jellyfish
- 1854: Appointed extraordinary professor of zoology at the Royal Frederick University in Christiania.
- 1856: Appointed a knight of the Order of St. Olav.
- 1865: Published a paper describing a species found at -550m in Lofoten. Together with the description of another species by the naturalist Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, this proved that life was present below depths previously assumed and prompted the famous Challenger expedition.
- Was an honorary doctorate at the universities of Zurich and Berlin and was elected to more than 20 learned societies in Europe and the USA.
- Named more than 250 species in his lifetime. Five genera were named after him, including the jellyfish Sarsia, and the algea Michaelsarsia.
- 1869: Died in Christiania
- 1961: the first volume of the marine biology Sarsia was published. The journal was renamed Marine Biology Research in 2004.
