The University of Évora is a public higher education institution combining more than four centuries of history with a strong commitment to the production, transmission and enhancement of knowledge. Through teaching, research, innovation and engagement with society, it pursues its mission of contributing to scientific, economic, social, cultural and environmental progress, establishing itself as a university committed to scientific excellence and sustainable development.
Research is one of the strategic pillars of the University of Évora and takes place within a broad, diverse and multidisciplinary scientific environment. The University’s research ecosystem brings together different fields of knowledge, from the arts, humanities and social sciences to science and technology, health, environmental sciences, digitalisation and data science, fostering interdisciplinary responses to complex societal challenges.
Located in the centre of the Alentejo region, the University of Évora benefits from unique conditions for research into Mediterranean ecosystems and the agricultural, agroforestry and food systems characteristic of southern Europe. This territorial setting has supported the development of strong scientific capacity in areas closely connected to Mediterranean territories and sustainability transitions, including agriculture, biodiversity, food systems, climate change, natural resource management, environmental monitoring and biological data analysis. The surrounding territory serves as a living laboratory for interdisciplinary research, agricultural innovation and rural development.
Within this context, MED – Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development - is one of the University of Évora's leading research structures, playing a central role in delivering its scientific strategy. As the largest research and development unit based at the University of Évora, it brings together researchers from multiple disciplinary fields and promotes an integrated approach to the sustainability of ecosystems and food systems in Mediterranean-climate regions.
The research carried out by MED spans different levels, from molecular and cellular processes through to organisms, populations, ecosystems, production systems and territories. This integrated approach makes it possible to understand complex phenomena and develop innovative solutions to address the challenges of agriculture, food, biodiversity, climate change, sustainability and the sustainable management of natural resources.
MED's scientific activity is underpinned by an extensive network of laboratories, technological platforms, experimental infrastructures and test fields distributed across the south of the country, enabling laboratory-based, experimental and field research to be carried out under real-world conditions, while also strengthening the transfer of knowledge to different sectors of society and the economy.
The scale and scientific excellence of MED are also reflected in its coordination of the CHANGE Associate Laboratory – Global Change and Sustainability Institute, a national centre of scientific excellence bringing together three research units — MED, CE3C and CENSE. Built on the scientific complementarity of these units, CHANGE promotes integrated, transdisciplinary research aimed at supporting the development of public policies that address the challenges of global change. Its extensive territorial coverage, spanning the Alentejo and Algarve regions to the Lisbon area and the Azores, is a distinctive feature among Portuguese Associate Laboratories and strengthens its capacity to conduct research across different ecological, territorial and socio-economic realities.
This scientific capacity is supported by advanced experimental, analytical and computational methodologies, including omics technologies, bioinformatics and integrated data modelling and analysis, making it possible to generate knowledge about biological, agricultural and environmental systems at multiple scales.
The growing complexity of these approaches entails the production, integration and analysis of large volumes of biological data from different analytical platforms, methodologies and observation scales. Managing this data efficiently is now an essential element in ensuring research quality, the reproducibility of results, the interoperability of scientific information and the reuse of the knowledge generated.
Within this framework, the University of Évora, through MED, has been consolidating expertise in the management and analysis of biological data, in bioinformatics, and in the implementation of good scientific data management practices, promoting FAIR principles and Open Science while strengthening collaboration within national and international research networks. This scientific, technological and infrastructural capacity positions the University of Évora as a relevant partner in the development of infrastructures and services for the management, integration and enhancement of biological data, contributing to a more open, interoperable and collaborative science.
BioData.pt | ELIXIR Portugal extends a warm welcome to the University of Évora and looks forward to a fruitful collaboration within our growing community!