CIESM is dedicated to research at the frontiers of marine science. Understanding the processes and changes that govern the functioning of the Mediterranean Sea and affect its interaction with growing coastal populations is one of its primary missions.

CIESM Programs usually originate from recommendations of Research Workshops; they are carried out at the whole Basin scale, with a medium- to long-term horizon. The participating scientists from various coastal countries use rigorously similar protocols for sampling and analysis.

At the moment seven programs, involving a large number of associated research institutes in CIESM Member States, monitor parameters of importance for understanding the changing dynamics, biodiversity, hydrology and health of the Mediterranean and Black Seas: MedGloss, Hydrochanges, Exotic Species, Tropicalization, Musselwatch, Zooplankton Indicators and the pilot program Transmed.

The large scientific gene pool of the Commission -- more than 2000 researchers in over 30 countries -- is structured into six Committees: Marine Geosciences, Physics and  Climate of the Ocean, Marine Biogeochemistry, Marine Microbiology, Marine Ecosystems and Living Resources, Coastal Systems.

They organize research workshops, mostly focused on emerging scientific issues, communicate significant discoveries, identify remaining gaps in knowledge, provide impartial analyses of oceanographic trends, and engage in cooperative initatives at the interface between marine disciplines.