What DiBio - Dipartimento di Biologia - Università di Padova does

DiBio (Dipartimento di Biologia) is a public academic department of the University of Padova, established in October 1983 by merger of the Institutes of Animal Biology, Botany, and Anthropology, together with the historic Orto Botanico (Botanical Garden, founded 1545) and the Marine Biology Station of Chioggia (Venice). The department occupies seven floors of the Vallisneri building on Viale G. Colombo 3 in Padova, comprising more than 5,000 square meters of research space divided across 100+ laboratories. It serves three primary constituencies: undergraduate and graduate students (via four bachelor's and seven master's degree programs in Biology, Molecular and Biomedical Biology, Biotechnologies, and Natural and Environmental Sciences, plus PhD programs), academic researchers (via core research facilities, grant-driven projects, and international collaborations), and the broader public (via outreach, summer/winter schools, and events).

DiBio's core technology stack consists of specialized wet-lab core facilities — Zebrafish, Drosophila (Fly Facility), Plant Genome Editing and Phenotyping, DiBio Sequencing (NGS), FACS Cell Sorting (Servizio Cell Sorting), Stem Cell Facility, BioImaging microscopy, and the Chioggia Marine Biology Station — supplemented by internal digital infrastructure including the Slotify booking platform, the Moodle e-learning system, and the departmental management portal. Research spans all levels of biological organization, from molecules to ecosystems, using microorganisms, plants, insects, invertebrates, and vertebrates including humans.

As a public university department, DiBio does not operate a commercial revenue model. It is funded through the University of Padova's central administration via Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR) allocations, tuition (regulated and ISEE-based, not individually negotiated), national research grants, and international awards such as the recent Michael J. Fox Foundation Parkinson's research grant (2026). The department holds the European Commission's HR Excellence in Research certification. It is led by Director Prof. Luigi Bubacco and Vice-Director Prof.ssa Elena Ziviani, with Simone Canesso serving as Department Secretary.

Name

DiBio - Dipartimento di Biologia - Università di Padova

Legal name

Dipartimento di Biologia - Università di Padova

Website

https://biologia.unipd.it

Company type

Public

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DiBio is the Department of Biology at the University of Padova, established 1983, delivering biology education across 11 degree programs and operating 100+ specialized research laboratories and core facilities in Padova and Chioggia. It serves students, academic researchers, and the broader public through teaching, wet-lab research services, and scientific outreach.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education & Biological Research

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

akta.pro primary industry

Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based) (EDAHAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biology & Life Science Enrichment (Biotech, Genetics, Anatomy) (EDAMABAF), Medicine & Allied Health (Clinical) (EDAGABAG)

Keywords

• Biological research
• Higher education
• Life sciences
• Academic training
• Core research facilities

Headquarters

HQ city

Padova, Padova

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

DiBio is the Department of Biology of the University of Padua, providing higher education degree programs (Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD) in biological sciences and conducting basic and applied biological research across 100+ laboratories. Its offering is anchored in academic training, scientific research, and shared research infrastructure (core facilities such as sequencing, imaging, cell sorting, model organism, and stem cell platforms) accessible to internal students/researchers and external collaborators.

Product overview

DiBio (Dipartimento di Biologia) is an academic department of the University of Padua that provides educational programs (undergraduate and graduate courses in Biology, Molecular and Biomedical Biology, Biotechnology, and Natural and Environmental Sciences), research services, and operates research facilities including BioFacilities for research, BioImaging, and specialized laboratory services. The department also manages internal administrative systems including Slotify for facility bookings, Moodle for e-learning, and department management portals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bachelor's Degree Programs in Biology and related sciences Three-year undergraduate degree programs (laurea triennale) in biological sciences offered through the University of Padua's public admission system, intended for prospective students seeking foundational training in biology.
• Master's Degree Programs (Scienze Biologiche, Biologia Molecolare, Biologia Marina, Scienze della Natura, Biologia Evoluzionistica) Two-year Master's degree programs (laurea magistrale) in Biological Sciences, Molecular Biology, Marine Biology, Natural Sciences, and Evolutionary Biology, for graduates seeking advanced specialization in biological sub-disciplines.
• PhD Program in Biosciences Doctoral (PhD) research training program in biological sciences, intended for candidates pursuing research careers in biology and related fields.
• Core Research Facilities (Zebrafish, Fly, Plant Genome Editing, Sequencing, Cell Sorting, Stem Cell, BioImaging, Chioggia Marine Station) Shared research infrastructure and services provided to internal researchers, students, and external collaborators, including vertebrate and invertebrate model organism facilities, plant genome editing, high-throughput sequencing, flow cytometry/cell sorting, stem cell culture, advanced bioimaging, and a marine biology field station.
• Slotify Facility Booking System Online booking and reservation system used to schedule access to DiBio's shared research facilities and equipment for internal users and approved collaborators.

Quantifiable outcome

• Participation in international research projects funded by prestigious organizations such as the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Orto Botanico di PadovacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric botanical garden founded in 1545, one of the oldest in the world, merged into DiBio at the department's establishment in 1983. Provides unique plant research and educational facilities.
• Stazione di Biologia Marina di ChioggiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarine biology research station located in Chioggia (Venice), part of the original institutions merged to form DiBio in 1983. Houses Palazzo Grassi and Stazione Idrobiologica for marine and aquatic biology research.
• SETAC Italian Language BranchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSociety of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry - Italian branch. DiBio is hosting the 5th SETAC Italian Language Branch Workshop in Chioggia in September 2026.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg University: Heidelberg's Faculty of Biosciences is a historic German university biology faculty combining molecular, cellular, and organismal research with structured degree programs — a closely matched European university biology peer.
• Department of Biology, ETH Zurich: ETH Zurich's Department of Biology is a top-tier European university biology department offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs with cutting-edge research infrastructure — closely comparable in research intensity and European public-university context.
• Karolinska Institutet - Department of Cell and Molecular Biology: Karolinska Institutet's biomedical departments conduct university-based research in molecular biology, cell biology, and disease mechanisms, with international grant capture and PhD training — highly comparable to DiBio's biomedical research portfolio.
• Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London: Imperial's Department of Life Sciences combines molecular biology, ecology, and biotechnology teaching and research within a top-tier UK research university — directly comparable in mission and research breadth.
• Wageningen University & Research - Department of Biology: Wageningen's biology department specializes in plant, organismal, and environmental biology research within a leading life sciences university — comparable in its mix of molecular biology and field-based/environmental research, overlapping with DiBio's plant and marine biology stations.
• Department of Biology, University of Oxford: Oxford's Department of Biology operates as a historic research and teaching unit within one of the world's oldest universities, with multiple specialized facilities and degree programs spanning biomedical and organismal biology — directly parallel to DiBio's institutional setup.
• Department of Biology, University of Cambridge: Cambridge's Department of Biology is a leading European university-based biology research and teaching department with comparable model organism facilities, sequencing/imaging cores, and broad coverage from molecular to ecological biology. Highly comparable in mission, structure, and academic excellence tier.
• School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh: Edinburgh's School of Biological Sciences is a major UK research and teaching unit spanning molecular genetics to ecosystem science — a comparable research-intensive biology school at a historic university.

Broad incumbents

• European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL): EMBL is an intergovernmental research organization operating molecular biology research sites across Europe with state-of-the-art core facilities (sequencing, imaging, structural biology) — a broader incumbent with overlapping core capabilities and a similar pan-European research model.
• Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen: Max Planck Institutes are Germany's flagship non-university basic research institutes covering molecular biology, developmental biology, and model organism research. They operate at a broader institutional scale but with directly comparable biological research domains.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dibio-dipartimento-di-biologia-universit%C3%A0-di-padova

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about DiBio - Dipartimento di Biologia - Università di Padova