CBQF - Centre for Biotecnology and Fine Chemistry: UID/50016/2025. Pluriannual 2025-2029

Classificação Global: Excelente
The Centre for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry (CBQF) is an Associate Laboratory and an international reference in Biotechnology, focussing in particular on highly laboratory intensive research applied to Food, the Environment, and Biomedicine. It holds interdisciplinary competencies based on biosciences, bioengineering, nutrition, and analytical chemistry, applied to thematic challenges focussed on the health and well-being of the citizen and the competitiveness of the agricultural and food systems.
Enabling CBQF's mission, are over 250 integrated researchers, including 120 with a PhD and about 75 PhD students, which are organised into thirteen research groups structured in four thematic lines: Environment and Resources, Food and Nutrition, Biobased and Biomedical Products, and Biotech Innovation and Tech Transfer.
CBQF is based on a 5-level, 9000sqm purpose-built, state-of-the-art facility that includes research-dedicated laboratories (84, covering ca. 3000sqm) to house its research groups and its seven Scientific Platforms serving the research activities and extension services: Analytical Chemistry, Cell Culture and Molecular Biology, Kitchen Lab, Consumer and Sensory Science, Packaging and Materials, Structural Analysis, and Bioactives. Of note, the Packaging and Materials Platform hosts the Portuguese National Reference Laboratory for Food Contact Materials. All Scientific Platforms are coordinated by dedicated, highly qualified, technicians.
Furthermore, CBQF is equipped with both state-of-the-art and basic equipment necessary to perform the research, development, and innovation activities in the multiple areas of biotechnology and instrumental analysis, both for internal and external activities and services, with all research outputs, including peer-reviewed articles, patents, project deliverables, scientific prototypes, among others, being produced using CBQF's laboratory space and equipment. Moreover, this equipment is essential to the training of undergraduate and graduate students at CBQF, in particular by supporting the development of the student's projects and thesis.
CBQF holds around 360 specialised equipment with a total acquisition cost of ca. 10M€, which are distributed as follows (%of total equipment and % of total equipment value): Analytical Chemistry (14% of the equipment, 28% of the value), Extraction and Preparation equipment (23% of the equipment, 16% of the value), Structural Characterisation equipment (6% of the equipment, 18% of the value), Kitchen Lab and Tech Hall (5% of the equipment, 4% of the value), Microbiology (11% of the equipment, 6% of the value), Cell Culture and Molecular Biology (15% of the equipment, 10% of the value), and other support equipment (26% of the equipment, 18% of the value).
Operation and maintenance costs of the research laboratories, platforms, and associated infrastructure and equipment, take up a significant proportion of CBQF's yearly budget (around 20%), further highlighting the high laboratory intensity practiced at the centre.
Nonetheless, in order to accomplish the activity plan herein proposed, remain competitive, and continue to work towards excellence, CBQF requires both an update of its state-of-the-art equipment, in particular of the Analytical Chemistry and Structural Analysis Scientific Platforms which are heavily used, and also to keep up with the continuous innovation that is verified in these fields. In addition, new investment is necessary to implement data storage capacity and analytics, including the necessary associated local infrastructure. Participation in FCCN and OCRE framework agreement should also be assured to guarantee an effective response to demands from both public challenges and policies as well as from CBQF's industrial partners.