What ITQB NOVA does

ITQB NOVA (Instituto de Tecnologia Qu\u00edmica e Biol\u00f3gica) is an interdisciplinary research and advanced training institute of NOVA University Lisbon, located in Oeiras, Portugal. Founded in 1986 and operating since 1989, the institute conducts research in molecular biosciences spanning biochemistry, cellular biology, structural biology, biotechnology, bioinformatics, systems biology, and chemical biology. It is one of the first Portuguese institutions awarded Laborat\u00f3rio Associado status (2001) and coordinates LS4Future, the largest Associated Laboratory in Life Sciences in Portugal, in partnership with iBET, IGC, NOVA Medical School, and IPOLisboa.

The institute operates as a public research organization with no equity holders, funded primarily through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), the Minist\u00e9rio da Ci\u00eancia, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior, and competitive European grants including Horizon Europe. Key funding inflows include the ORIGIN project (5.5M\u20ac), ALGANOVA (\u20ac5.7M), and ShikiFactory100 (\u20ac8M). Its research activities are supported by specialized facilities including cryo-EM, NMR spectroscopy, protein crystallography, mass spectrometry, and microscopy infrastructure. The institute also offers advanced training programs including five Master's programmes, PhD programs, the BRIDGE Fellowship program (15 fellowships awarded annually with Oeiras Municipality), postdoctoral positions, and short courses such as NMR spectroscopy training.

ITQB NOVA serves three primary constituencies: graduate and postgraduate students seeking advanced life sciences training, academic and industry researchers in pharmaceutical, agro, and biotechnology sectors seeking collaboration and technology transfer, and the general public engaged through science communication initiatives including European Researchers' Night. The institute is led by Director Jo\u00e3o Crespo (since 2023) and employs over 100 postdoctoral researchers. Its scientific staff includes elected EMBO members, American Academy of Microbiology Fellows, and senior leaders of European scientific societies, including the first woman and first person from southern Europe to preside over the European Academy of Microbiology (Cec\u00edlia Arraiano, effective January 2026).

Name

ITQB NOVA

Legal name

Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica

Website

https://itqb.unl.pt

Company type

Public

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

ITQB NOVA is a public interdisciplinary research and advanced training institute of NOVA University Lisbon, conducting molecular biosciences research and offering Master's, PhD, and postdoctoral programs, funded primarily through Portuguese public agencies and European Horizon Europe grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oeiras

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Public Research Funding: Core funding from Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior as a Laboratório Associado research institution.
2. EU Research Grants: Funding from Horizon Europe and other EU programs for specific research projects (e.g., ORIGIN 5.5M€, ALGANOVA €5.7M, ShikiFactory100 €8M).
3. Training and Education Services: Free short courses like NMR spectroscopy training offered to students and professionals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

ITQB NOVA is an interdisciplinary research and advanced training institute of NOVA University Lisbon that conducts fundamental and applied research in molecular biosciences — including biochemistry, cellular biology, structural biology, biotechnology, bioinformatics, systems biology and chemical biology — and delivers graduate and postgraduate training through Master's, PhD and postdoctoral programmes, short courses, fellowship programmes and weekly research seminars.

Product overview

ITQB NOVA is an interdisciplinary research institute and advanced training center of NOVA University of Lisbon, offering educational programs across multiple levels (Master's, PhD, postdoctoral) alongside research activities. The institute focuses on Molecular Biosciences with emphasis on Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Structural Biology, Biotechnology, Bioinformatics, Systems Biology, and Chemical Biology. Its offerings include educational courses (such as NMR spectroscopy training), fellowship programs (BRIDGE Fellowships for prospective PhD students), seminar series (SCAN weekly seminars), and access to advanced research facilities. The institute's research spans areas including molecular bases of health and disease, biological resources, and sustainable development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Basic Course on NMR Spectroscopy A four-and-a-half-day short course combining theoretical and practical sessions on basic aspects of NMR spectroscopy, aimed at beginners and routine NMR users. Covers basic theory, 1D and 2D homonuclear and heteronuclear techniques, and hands-on data acquisition and processing, with practical sessions limited to 12 students. Open and free of charge for life sciences students and professionals.
• BRIDGE Fellowships Fellowship programme, run in partnership with Oeiras Municipality, awarding 15 fellowships to Master's graduates who wish to begin a PhD at ITQB NOVA. Provides an immersive research environment to shape the future PhD project and includes support for FCT Call applications.
• Summer Science Programme Extended two-week summer programme for Bachelor's students to experience life in a research institute, learn about ongoing research projects and gain exposure to the institute's laboratories and community.
• SCAN Seminars Weekly seminar series held every Wednesday at noon at the ITQB NOVA Auditorium, featuring in-house researchers and invited speakers across biological and chemical sciences, with an archive of more than 300 sessions.
• PhD Programmes Doctoral programmes in Chemistry, Biological Chemistry, Biology, Plant Sciences, Biotechnology and related fields, with doctoral students presenting their research at NOVA Science & Innovation Day.
• Master's Programmes Five Master's programmes offered at ITQB NOVA, with over 80 Master's students currently enrolled, providing advanced coursework and research training in life sciences and chemistry.
• Research Facilities Services Access to advanced research infrastructure including cryo-EM, NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, protein crystallography and microscopy facilities, available to internal researchers, academic collaborators and industry partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Horizon Europe project funding: 5.5M€ for ORIGIN, €5.7M for ALGANOVA, €8M for ShikiFactory100
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Horizon Europe ProgrammecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024EU research funding programme providing major project grants: ORIGIN project (5.5M€), ALGANOVA project (€5.7M), and other Horizon Europe funded research initiatives involving ITQB NOVA researchers.
• IBET (Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Private, not-for-profit biotechnology institution that started operating in the same site (1996). Partnership established under Laboratório Associado programme with ITQB NOVA, IGC, NOVA Medical School and IPOLisboa to maximize research and development potential. IBET focuses on biotechnology applications and is an integral part of the research campus.
• NOVA Medical SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership under renewed Laboratório Associado LS4Future, coordinated by ITQB NOVA. Collaborates on Life Sciences research for health and sustainable environment.
• IPOLisboacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership under renewed Laboratório Associado LS4Future, coordinated by ITQB NOVA. Collaborates on Life Sciences research objectives.
• LS4Future (Life Sciences for a Healthy and Sustainable Future)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Biggest Associated Laboratory in Life Sciences in Portugal, coordinated by ITQB NOVA in partnership with iBET, IGC, NOVA Medical School and IPOLisboa. Aims to gather critical mass from these institutions to work for Health and Environment.
• IGC (Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2001Initially hosted ITQB groups next to IGC in Oeiras (1989-1996). Established partnership under Laboratório Associado programme since 2001, renewed in 2021. Both institutions collaborate within the LS4Future Associated Laboratory.
• Oeiras MunicipalitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Oeiras Municipality for BRIDGE Fellowships programme supporting Master's graduates pursuing PhD. Also supports science outreach initiatives like 'Cientistas em Oeiras' campaign showcasing local scientists.
• International Legume SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational organization in legume research where ITQB NOVA researcher Carlota Vaz Patto was elected President.
• Wellcome Sanger Institute (UK)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research collaboration where Stephanie Lo from Wellcome Sanger Institute gave seminar on pneumococcal genomics research.
• IMDEA Energy (Spain)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiotechnological Processes Unit at IMDEA Energy collaborates on microbial oxidoreductases and bioprocesses research. Elvira Romero Guzman gave seminar on circular economy bioprocesses.
• ShikiFactory100 ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU-funded synthetic biology project for sustainable industry with 8 million euros funding. ITQB NOVA participates in this multinational consortium developing yeast-based production of shikimate pathway-derived compounds.
• SENTRY Project ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultinational consortium developing AI tools for monitoring and preventing plant infectious diseases. ITQB NOVA part of this sustainable agriculture initiative.
• ALGANOVA Project ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean project for turning algae into food with €5.7 million total funding under Horizon Europe. ITQB NOVA joins this initiative for algae-based food production research.
• ORIGIN Project ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOptimized Routing and Industrial Generation of Ingredients from Nature - 5.5M€ Horizon Europe project using advanced biotechnology to transform natural ingredient production for dietary supplements, cosmetics, medicines, and fragrances.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Institut Pasteur: French private non-profit foundation dedicated to biological research, infectious diseases, and public health. Comparable as a long-established European life sciences institute combining fundamental research with advanced training and industry spin-offs.
• European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL): Premier intergovernmental European life sciences research organisation with multiple sites across Europe. Comparable in molecular biology focus and graduate training (EMBL International PhD programme), though significantly broader in scope and larger than ITQB NOVA.
• Wellcome Sanger Institute: UK-based genomics and biomedical research institute with global reach. Active seminar partner of ITQB NOVA; comparable in life sciences research excellence and graduate/PhD training programmes, though substantially larger and genomics-focused.

Direct peers

• i3S (Instituto de Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o e Inova\u00e7\u00e3o em Sa\u00fade): Portuguese biomedical research institute affiliated with the University of Porto, focusing on cancer, neurobiology, and microbial biology. Comparable as a multi-disciplinary life sciences research institute with graduate training programmes and industry partnerships.
• iBET (Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnol\u00f3gica): Portuguese not-for-profit biotechnology institute co-located on the same Oeiras campus since 1996. Directly partnered under LS4Future and shares bioprocess, cell biology, and biotechnology R&D focus with ITQB NOVA, with a stronger industry translation orientation.
• Instituto Gulbenkian de Ci\u00eancia (IGC): Portuguese life sciences research institute founded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. Directly partnered with ITQB NOVA under LS4Future Laborat\u00f3rio Associado and shares similar research focus in molecular biology, biomedicine, and PhD training at the same Oeiras campus.
• Champalimaud Foundation: Portuguese biomedical research and clinical centre in Lisbon focusing on neuroscience and oncology. Comparable as a research-intensive biomedical institute with translational research and graduate training within Portugal's life sciences ecosystem.
• Instituto de Medicina Molecular (iMM): Portuguese biomedical research institute at the University of Lisbon focusing on molecular medicine, immunology, and infectious diseases. Comparable in scope of life sciences research, public funding model, and graduate training programmes.
• Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG): European life sciences research institute in Barcelona focusing on genomics, bioinformatics, and cell biology. Comparable in size, international focus, graduate training programmes (PhD), and competitive EU grant capture model.

Regional players

• Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics: German public research institute under the Max Planck Society focusing on molecular genetics, genomics, and bioinformatics. Comparable as a publicly funded European life sciences research institute with PhD training, though based in Germany rather than Portugal.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/itqbnova
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ITQBNOVA
• Facebookfacebook.com/itqbnova
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/itqbnova
• Instagraminstagram.com/itqbnova

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ITQB NOVA