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Michael Sars Centre

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Underwater images of marine life

The Michael Sars Centre at the University of Bergen, is an international community of scientists using advanced technologies to study the unique molecular and cellular biology of marine organisms in a changing environment for broad societal impact.

As one of the first EMBL partners, the Michael Sars Centre is rooted in the Bergen academic community and serves as a national strategical asset for Norwegian marine life sciences. We aim to establish, strengthen, and leverage local, national, and international networks through specific activities, including collaborative research, joint training, and scientific exchange.

 

New publication
Cells seen under a confocal microscope

A widely used RNA assay labels the wrong molecules in several model organisms

After a routine experiment raised suspicions, Steinmetz group researchers joined forces with collaborators to highlight the limitations of a commonly used RNA labeling product.

Event
Promotional poster for the Michael Sars Symposium 2026

Registration for the Michael Sars Symposium 2026 is open!

Join us on June 4, 2026 at Media City Bergen for a day of exceptional talks. This year's event is co-organized by the Michael Sars Centre and the Computational Biology Unit at UiB, and will focus on 'Living systems in a variable ocean'.

INNOVATION
Researcher in the laboratory holding a petri dish

Guillaume Poncelet: Bringing Sea Squirt Science into Real-World Bioglues

Some of the most promising innovations begin far from the marketplace — in the deep curiosity of fundamental research. For developmental biologist Guillaume Poncelet, that curiosity lives inside the earliest stages of life: tiny sea squirt embryos forming a heart.

New publication
Cells seen under a confocal microscope

Starved sea anemones put their cells in ‘deep sleep’ mode

New work from the Steinmetz group at the Michael Sars Centre unveils the secrets behind the starlet sea anemone's extraordinary ability to adjust its body size according to food availability.

Sustainability
The Burkhardt and Christiaen labs celebrate the certification

Two research groups obtain My Green Lab certification at the Michael Sars Centre

Efforts to make the Christiaen and Burkhardt laboratories more sustainable were rewarded with the highest-level certification from international environmental organization My Green Lab. The initiative received support from the UiB Climate Fund.