Prior to 1800 - Traveling naturalists
Plymouth played host to many traveling naturalists notably Joseph Banks who departed from Plymouth with Captain Cook on the Endeavour in 1768. John White and Thomas Harriot sailed together from Plymouth to the Roanoake colony in 1585, contributing to the development of marine biology through White's drawings of fish which were used by Linnaeus to describe two of his genera. There is some indication that Harriot, a scientist on the expedition, collected specimens and gave them to White to draw.

1812 - The Plymouth Institution.
The Plymouth Institution for the promotion of Science, Literature and the Liberal Arts was formed and the Plymouth Athenaeum, where the institution was to hold its meetings, was opened in 1819. The Athenaeum was a place where like-minded naturalists (by this time there were many visiting and resident in Plymouth) could get together and discuss their observations. In 1829, the Rev. J. P Jones and J.F. Kingston published their Flora Devoniensis dedicated to the Devon and Cornwall Natural History Society which was based at the Plymouth Athenaeum. This was the first attempt to publish a comprehensive list of marine algae in Devon. Throughout the nineteenth century a number of marine naturalists were associated with the Plymouth Institution and publishing in its Transactions including John Boswarva and Charles Spence Bate.

1831 - Charles Darwin set sail from Plymouth on the Beagle
Charles Darwin set sail from Plymouth on the Beagle having spent two months in Plymouth prior to the voyage. His increasing anxiety about the impending voyage caused Darwin to refer to this time as 'the most miserable which I ever spent'. Darwin's association with Plymouth continued through his famous advocate T.H. Huxley who became the first Chairman of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom (MBA) in 1884, and Charles Spence Bate, who corresponded with Darwin during Darwin's 'barnacle years' (1846-1854). Spence Bate was a founding member of the MBA.

1862 - The Plymouth School of Navigation.
The Plymouth School of Navigation was established to allow professional mariners to study for national competency exams in seamanship. As the oldest direct predecessor of the University of Plymouth 2100 Naval and Merchant Officers had graduated from the school with certificates of seamanship by 1871. The School grew and contracted through the first half of the 20th century and became the Plymouth School of Maritime Studies which was subsequently absorbed by the University of Plymouth in the early 1990s.

1884 - The Marine Biological Association of the UK
The Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom (MBA) was established following the decision to establish a British marine laboratory at the International Fisheries Exhibition in 1883. Professor T.H. Huxley was elected President of the MBA and Professor Ray Lankester was elected Secretary. Huxley had received notoriety some years earlier as 'Darwin's Bulldog' for his advocacy of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.

1887 - The Marine Biological Library
The Library of the Marine Biological Association was created to support the MBA and received donations of books and periodicals from a variety of organisations, in recognition that the laboratory was so far from the main centres of learning. The first part of the present library building was constructed in 1930 and was augmented in 1955 and 1975 to house the ever expanding collection of material. The Library was designated as the National Marine Biological Library (NMBL) in 1996 in recognition of its role as a 'very specialised national resource' and one of the most comprehensive libraries in its field.

1888 - The MBA’s purpose built laboratory
The purpose built Citadel Hill laboratory was opened as the headquarters of the Marine Biological Association on 30th June 1888. Thanks to the generosity, largely of local individuals and institutions, the imposing building was completed in just one year on a site donated by the council overlooking Plymouth Sound. Along with the recently constructed marine station in Naples (on which the Citadel Hill laboratory was loosely based) and the Station Biologique de Roscoff, the Marine Biological Association can legitimately claim to be one of the oldest dedicated marine biological research institutions in the world.

1931 - The Continuous Plankton Recorder Survey
The aim of the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) Survey is to monitor the near-surface plankton of the North Atlantic and North Sea on a monthly basis using Continuous Plankton Recorders. Using the good will of 'ships of opportunity' (commercial vessels which receive, deploy and return the CPRs after transit), continuous monitoring has been possible on a number shipping routes (some for over 70 years) making the Survey one of the longest running marine monitoring programmes in the world. The brain-child of Sir Alister Hardy, an English fisheries biologist, he tested his prototype CPR during a two year Antarctic research cruise from 1925-27. On his return he designed a smaller version of his prototype for use on merchant ships - essentially the same model that is used routinely today. The first tow was made by the SS Albatross in September 1931. In 1959 the first transatlantic route was towed from Reykjavik to Newfoundland.

1963 - Nobel prizes
The research by Sir Alan Hodgkin and Sir Andrew Huxley (grandson of T.H. Huxley) at the MBA on the giant axon of the squid Loligo contributed to the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology awarded to them in 1963. This was by no means the only research carried out within the Plymouth Marine Science Partnership receiving Nobel recognition. Research by visiting academics at the MBA alone has led to seven of them being awarded the Nobel Prize. In recent years, Dr Carol Turley of the Plymouth Marine Laboratory was a lead author of the IPCC's 4th Assessment Report in the year that the IPCC and Al Gore were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

1970 - The Institute for Marine Environmental Research (IMER)
In the early 1970's the UK Government recognised the importance of Plymouth as a centre of excellence for marine life sciences when the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) created the Institute for Marine Environmental Research (IMER). IMER brought modern, multidisciplinary scientific approaches to some of the emerging issues in the marine environment and opened the doors of what is now the Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) building in 1977.

1980 - The Diving Diseases Research Centre (DDRC)
The Diving Diseases Research Centre (DDRC) evolved from a small unit run by volunteers at the Fort Bovisand diving school, a facility to treat divers with decompression sickness (DCS) or 'the bends'. In 1980 DDRC became a registered charity with a remit to research the effects of the undersea environment on human physiology and to use this information to educate and train the diving industry. DDRC has gradually developed into a fully staffed hyperbaric medical centre with broader objectives including the use of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBO) for the treatment of wounds and educating and training personnel from the medical and diving industries. DDRC celebrates its 30th Anniversary in 2010.

1988 - Plymouth Marine Laboratory
The Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) was formed in 1988 in response to a House of Lords Select Committee Science and Technology report which recommended a merger between IMER and parts of the Marine Biological Association. In 2002, PML changed its status from a wholly owned NERC research centre to become an independent company with charitable status although it remains a NERC collaborative centre and is classified as a Research Council Institute.

1990 - Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science (SAHFOS)
The CPR survey was operated by a number of organisations and from a number of locations throughout the UK until 1990. In 1990, an independent organisation named after Sir Alister Hardy was formed to run and manage the CPR survey. In 1993, The Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science (SAHFOS), a registered foundation, moved to co-locate with the MBA at Citadel Hill.

1992 - The University of Plymouth is approved by Privy Council
In 1992 Polytechnic South West (formerly Plymouth Polytechnic) was granted approval through the Privy Council to be called the University of Plymouth. The establishment of the University title was important for many reasons, including the ability to award its own degrees and the independence to set its own teaching and research strategies.

1995 - Flag Officer Sea Training moves to Plymouth
Established in 1958 by Lord Louis Mountbatten, Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) ensures that Royal Navy ships are fully prepared to support UK and coalition tasks around the world by providing Operational Sea Training (OST) for all surface ships, submarines and Royal Fleet Auxiliaries of the Royal Navy. In 1995, FOST relocated from Portland to Plymouth.

Flag Officer Sea Training - Hydrography, Meteorology and Oceanography (FOST HM) is an integral part of FOST and today an Associate Member of the Plymouth Marine Sciences Partnership. FOST HM is responsible for training specialist Officers and Ratings of the Royal Navy and international navies in understanding and assessing complex physical environment in which their ships, aircraft, submarines and people operate. FOST HM was formed in April 2008 with the merger of the Maritime Warfare School HM Training Group (MWS HMTG) and FOST sea-riding HM staff. FOST HM was previously the MWS HMTG, formed from the co-location of the Royal Navy Hydrographic and METOC Schools in Apr 03.

1998 - The National Marine Aquarium
The Plymouth Aquarium had been based for many years in the MBA building at Citadel Hill. In 1988 the Marine Biological Association started a thorough investigation of the existing aquarium facilities in Plymouth as a result of which recommendations were made to construct a completely new aquarium on a different site, built to world-class standards and using the most modern technology and materials. Supported by the Government and the European Community, work started on the site at Coxside in Plymouth in November 1996. The National Marine Aquarium was opened to the public in May 1998 and was the first aquarium in the United Kingdom to be set up solely for the purposes of education, conservation and research. A registered charity, it remains Britain's foremost aquarium with stunning exhibits and a reputation for excellence in education. The aquarium is constantly evolving and in the 12 years since it opened to the public has undergone several major refurbishments. An extension opened in 2002 and work continues to develop and improve the visitor experience and research capability of the aquarium.

1999 - The Plymouth Marine Sciences Partnership
The Plymouth Marine Sciences Partnership (PMSP) was formed by five original members, the MBA, SAHFOS, PML, the University of Plymouth and the National Marine Aquarium. Their aim was to capitalise on the strengths of the individual institutions and through collaboration, contribute to the delivery of the Regional Economic Strategy for South West England 2006-2015. They also wanted to further develop Plymouth as a Centre of Excellence for marine science and technology. In 2006, PMSP was formally established through a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the original members. Formalisation enabled the development of a more strategic and coordinated approach to marine science in the city. The Diving Disease Research Centre (DDRC) joined the partnership as a full member in 2007. The Royal Navy's Flag Officer Sea Training - Hydrography, Meteorology and Oceanography (FOST HM) joined the partnership as an Associate Member in 2008. The PMSP Secretariat is currently based at Citadel Hill.

2006 - The Marine Institute of the University of Plymouth
Marine and maritime activities are one of the six strategic areas of the University and a focus for the City of Plymouth. Following a re-organisation of the University's structure in 2003 the need for a single entity which could act a focal point for multidisciplinary marine and maritime research, education and enterprise activities was recognised. The Marine Institute was launched on May 23rd 2006 to undertake the task.

The Marine Institute has developed a pool of world-leading experts whose specialist knowledge as part of an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to marine issues will provide practical solutions for a sustainable marine future.

The Marine Institute comprises fourteen research centres and an enterprise unit, 160 specialist staff, a dedicated diving and marine centre, a new research vessel, remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and an £18 million marine building, due for completion in 2012. The four storey building will host a 'state of the art' wave tank facility for the testing of offshore energy devices, a ship simulator, space for academics and will be home to the Marine Institute.

2009 - MBA 125th Anniversary
The MBA celebrated its 125th Anniversary with a series of events culminating in a day of keynote presentations and a reception celebrating 125 years of MBA excellence in research and education at the Fishmongers Company in London. The venue was appropriate as the Prime Warden of the Fishmongers Company, Sir James Clarke Lawrence, a past Lord Mayor of London, was present at the opening ceremony of the Marine Biological Society Headquarters at Citadel Hill, 125 years earlier. Nobel prize winner Sir Tim Hunt was one of a number of internationally renowned MBA members speaking at this event.