The Federal State of Bremen in north-western Germany has a long tradition as seafaring city and as a centre for overseas trade, maritime technology, marine research and education. The University of Bremen has about 20,000 students and marine research is among its main focus. BreMarE - Bremen Marine Ecology, the Centre for Research & Education, unites the marine research teams at the Department of Biology and Chemistry (FB 2) including specialised working groups for Marine Microbiology, Marine Botany, Marine Zoology, and Marine Chemistry.