It grew quickly and over the next 10 years began a gradual transfer of activities to Millport on the Isle of Cumbrae on the west coast.

[4] In 1901 the committee transformed itself into the Marine Biological Association of the West of Scotland by adopting a formal constitution.

[5] After 80 years of investigations of the Firth of Clyde area and an island location, the Association relocated to the mainland in 1967 and built new facilities near Oban where it has easy access to a variety of oceanographic environments.

[6] The Ocean Explorer Centre,[7] at Dunbeg, allows visitors to learn about the marine environment and the academic research going on at SAMS.

[8] In 2014 the Ocean Explorer Centre was opened by Michael Russell MSP, then Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, to serve as a visitor and outreach facility for SAMS.