ITQB Universidade Nova de Lisboa

The ITQB NOVA is located in the Town of Oeiras, at the Tagus river mouth, just outside Lisbon in a building inside the campus of the National Agricultural Station, an R&D institution of the Ministry of Agriculture. Some facilities are located in two other buildings, one belonging to the Agricultural Station and the other to the neighbouring Gulbenkian Institute. The origins of ITQB NOVA go back to 1986 when the concept of a new research centre was developed and took shape through a process led by Professor António V. Xavier (1943-2006).

ITQB NOVA is an institute devoted to carry scientific research and postgraduate teaching in life sciences, chemistry and associated technologies, for the benefit of human health and the environment. It has several PhD programs and 4 Master courses.

At ITQB NOVA, the system to monitor the Quality of Teaching (Sistema de Garantia de Qualidade do Ensino), allows the university to track and report on its teaching and training activities, and is an essential tool to increase its national and international recognition.

ITQB NOVA has a strong expertise in Molecular Biosciences, covered by four broad scientific disciplines: Cellular and Molecular Biology, Molecular and Structural Biology, Biotechnology and Systems Biology, and Chemical Biology. These scientific disciplines drive ITQB NOVA research, contributing to strategic Societal Challenges focused on the well-being of human societies (Molecular Basis of Health and Disease) and on the environment (Biological Resources and Sustainable Development).

The diversity of expertise present at ITQB NOVA contributes to the multidisciplinary atmosphere that makes this Institute unique in the country.

Research developed at ITQB NOVA can sometimes create real opportunities for applications either through patent submissions or by the creation of start-up companies. This competence is achieved by ITQB NOVA´s association with IBET. IBET is the largest private, non-profit biotechnology research organization in Portugal and its goal is to transfer scientific knowledge to industrial applications.