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The Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology (CNC) is a nonprofit research institute founded in 1990, aiming to foster biomedical research and multidisciplinary graduate teaching at the University of Coimbra. CNC was the first established “Laboratório Associado” in Portugal, and it has steadily increased the scope of scientific competences over the years, with a strong focus on the exploitation of the fundamental mechanisms of aging and brain diseases.
CNC is uniquely placed to take a decisive lead in Biomedicine at both basic and applied levels, due to the diverse backgrounds of its researchers. The close interaction with large scale hospitals, namely the Coimbra University Hospital (CHUC) and Coimbra Portuguese Institute of Oncology (IPO), Pharmaceutical Companies and the Biotechnology Innovation Center – Biocant, is a driving force in promoting the development of translational research. Development of new technologies based on solid fundamental research, and stimulated by the growing interest in translational research, led to the official establishment of the Biotechnology specialization domain at CNC, reorganized as such at the CNC/UC-BIOTECH located at Biocant.
In parallel to fundamental and applied research, CNC is committed to the training of a new generation of researchers and clinicians. CNC established an international PhD Programme in 2002, and strongly collaborates with the MIT-Portugal PhD Program. CNC is part of the European Neuroscience Campus Network (ENC-Network) for postgraduate training, the Network of European Neuroscience Institutes (ENInet), and is also involved in the Harvard Medical School-Portugal Program in Translational Research and Information.
As a research institution where the scientific challenges arise, the CNC has also the responsibility of developing and establishing strategies that foster positive attitudes towards science and scientists. The Outreach Programme developed by CNC is of utmost relevance to the dissemination of scientific information to the community, to broaden the public’s access to science, and to engage students in science studies. |
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