The Marine Biological Association has promoted marine scientific excellence and represented the marine biological community since 1884. Its main aim is to ‘to promote scientific research into all aspects of life in the sea, including the environment on which it depends, and to disseminate to the public the knowledge gained.’ The MBA achieves these aims through its membership, through the work of its journal, through high quality research and through education and outreach programmes. The MBA has earned an international reputation for excellence and innovation in research, by the resident scientific staff and visiting research workers, including seven Nobel laureates. The research programme addresses both fundamental and strategic issues in marine science in the areas of ecosystems and environmental change, and mechanisms underlying biogeochemical and ecological processes. In 2013, the MBA was awarded a Royal Charter in recognition of its long and eminent history and its status within the field of marine biology.  The award strengthens the Association’s role in promoting marine biology as a discipline and in representing the interests of the marine biological community.