History

NIOZ Texel and Yerseke

Today

With its four newly established science departments, NIOZ is the largest of NWO’s national centres of expertise.

2015

The NIOZ harbour on Texel was reopened after extensive renovation, with a new name: Seaport Texel. It is the home port for our research vessels, as well as being accessible to the public.

2012

The NIOZ merged with the Centre for Estuarine Marine Ecology (NIOO-CEME), located in the town of Yerseke in the Eastern Scheldt area. The institute now has two locations: on Texel and in Yerseke – or NIOZ TX and YE for short.

Netherlands Institute for Sea Research

2001

The institute became ‘Royal’ on its 125th birthday.

1993

The entire organic biogeochemistry group from Delft University of Technology, led by our later director prof. Jan de Leeuw, was transferred to NIOZ.

1991

RV Pelagia was brought into service, which enabled researchers to conduct extensive research on oceans all around the world. 

1990-today

The NIOZ is part of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO).

1984-1985

NIOZ management and scientists helped organise and undertake the Indonesian-Dutch Snellius-II Expedition in Indonesian seas. The expedition used the RV Tyro, which was owned by the Netherlands Council for Sea Research (NRZ).

1972

RV Aurelia was brought into service, allowing NIOZ scientists to expand their research territory to include the entire North Sea. Ocean cruises were also undertaken using hired ships.

1969-1977

The NIOZ moved to the 'Provisorium', a temporary housing in the polder of 't Horntje on the Wadden Sea island of Texel, until the new building in the same location was opened in 1977.

1960

The Zoological Station was renamed the Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (Nederlands Instituut voor Onderzoek der Zee, NIOZ) and a year later the first issue of the Netherlands Journal for Sea Research was released.

The institute expanded and soon proved too small to accommodate some 100 employees. Besides, the potential for intake of clean sea water in Den Helder was too limited.

Dutch Zoological Society

1957

Director Dr. Jan Verweij proposed to broaden the Station’s scope from biology to the four pillars of oceanography: biology, chemistry, physics and geology. His proposal was instantly approved.

1945-1955

After World War II, the building in Den Helder was restored and the workforce expanded with temporary researchers, financed by ZWO, the forerunner of NWO.

1940-1945

World War II caused a stop to all research operations, leaving only the administrator and administrative tasks. The Wim Wolff, main research vessel at the time, was confiscated by the German occupier and only returned after the war ended. The building in Den Helder served as barracks to soldiers which led to its partial destruction during the course of the war. 

1931-1940

From 1931 onwards, the Dutch government financially supported the Zoological Station, which significantly strengthened its ties with the biological faculties of Dutch universities by organising student courses. The economic crisis, however, set a limit to the expansion with additional staff.

1890

A much larger permanent building was opened in the harbour of Den Helder.

1877

The mobile building was stationed in the city of Vlissingen. From here, a schooner departed for a first scientific expedition to the English coast and Helgoland during which the five crew members collected marine animals with a trawl-net.

1876-1890

NDV owned a dismountable building referred to as ‘de Keet’ (‘the Barracks’), which was used as a field station until 1890. Generally no more than five people were at work here, including the first directors who would carry out their research unsalaried.

1876

Coordinated research on animal life at sea in the Netherlands began in 1876 with the founding of the Zoological Station under the umbrella of the Dutch Zoological Society (Nederlandse Dierkundige Vereniging, NDV).