Faculty of Biotechnology

Integrated in the Catholic University of Portugal, the Faculty of Biotechnology (ESB - Escola Superior de Biotecnologia) has the mission of intervening in the scientific, social and economic communities through the development of Teaching, Research and Development (R&D) and Extension initiatives in the Biotechnology field, in order to affirm itself as a forum of international excellence, with a strong national conscience, which reveals and promotes the academic spirit in a humanistic perspective.

History

ESB started its activity as a higher education institution in 1984 with the creation of the graduate course in Food Engineering. Later, in 1992, the graduate courses in Microbiology and Environmental Engineering were created. Since the beginning, these courses had a strong connection with the broader field of Biotechnology, which has always been the basis of teaching and R&D activities implemented at ESB. When the European higher education system was reorganized according to the Bologna Model, the original three graduated courses were restructured in first- and second-cycle courses in which, once again, Biotechnology was the common feature.

Teaching

Presently, ESB offers three 1st-cycle courses – Bioengineering (180 ECTS), Microbiology (180 ECTS) and Nutrition Sciences (240 ECTS) – and four 2nd-cycle courses (each with 120 ECTS) – Food Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Applied Microbiology.

At the 3rd-cycle level, ESB offers, since 1990, the PhD degree in Biotechnology, recently converted to the Doctoral Programme in Biotechnology (with 240 ECTS), with four areas of specialization – Chemistry, Microbiology, Food Science and Engineering and Environmental Science and Engineering.

Research and development

In parallel with its higher education activity, ESB has created and developed a research center, CBQF (Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina), which, since 2004, has the status of State-Associated Laboratory and develops activity in the Biotechnology field, specifically in the Food and Environment areas and their interface with quality of life and well-being. One of the competences of CBQF is to provide scientific services to the community and to the different industries. In the last national evaluation of research centers it was classified as "excellent".[1]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "FCT — R&D Units — Evaluation". http://www.fct.pt/apoios/unidades/avaliacoes/index.phtml.en. Retrieved 16 May 2013. External link in |website= (help)

External links

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