The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) announced Wednesday that it will be ending its 12-year affiliation with the University, effective June 30.
The biology and environmental science research center—located in Woods Hole, Massachusetts—has been affiliated with the University since 2013. UChicago runs September-term programs, a pre-orientation program, a 15-week fall semester in environmental science, and a spring quarter in biological discovery at the MBL.
The laboratory will continue its academic programs and existing research collaborations with the University after the partnership ends, according to an email from MBL Director Nipam Patel to MBL community ambassadors. The MBL will not make any significant changes to its staffing or budget, Patel wrote in the email, but University representatives on the organization’s board of trustees will be stepping down in June.
In his email, Patel praised the partnership between the University and the MBL, saying that it had “fueled significant research collaborations and publications, as well as joint programs established around common research themes. Examples of these include the MBL/University of Chicago Graduate Research Fellowship Program and scientific collaborations that resulted in the development of innovative instruments, enabling high-resolution, three-dimensional visualization of cells and tissues.”
The MBL made the decision to become independent in part following a $25 million gift from Mark Teraski last August and other investments that they say will help them become financially self-sufficient, according to the email.
When the two organizations announced the partnership in 2013, the University said it hoped to help the MBL from a fiscal standpoint. “Like all independent scientific labs, the MBL has faced financial pressures in recent years even as its scientific programs have continued to thrive,” a University press release at the time read. “The affiliation will bring new resources with the University’s help, including efforts to expand access to federal and private grants, cooperation in philanthropic efforts, and expansion of educational programs.”
Since the affiliation began, the MBL has consistently run sizable budget deficits of $10–15 million, although the laboratory slashed its deficit in half in fiscal year 2025, now sitting at $5.8 million.
Critics of the University’s handling of its finances have noted that it has heavily subsidized the laboratory since the partnership began.
