The Algarve Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR-Algarve) is renowned as an outstanding research institution dedicated to marine science. Situated at the forefront of marine research, CCMAR-Algarve boasts a distinguished reputation for its contributions to understanding, conserving, and harnessing the potential of marine ecosystems. Located in the South of Portugal, Faro, CCMAR-Algarve is an independent non-profit research organization within the University of the Algarve system. It has the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) as a strategic partner and, together with the Interdisciplinary Centre for Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), constitutes the Associate Laboratory CIMAR. CCMAR-Algarve is the lead partner in the Portuguese branch of the European Marine Biological Resource Centre (EMBRC - ERIC).
CCMAR-Algarve’s main asset is its vibrant research community: a dynamic and multidisciplinary group of over 200 highly skilled and motivated people. Our challenges are systematically tamed by the research groups, working together under inspiring group leaders, most of which are also Professors at the University of the Algarve. All our researchers are supported by a well-established team of technical and administrative staff and make excellent use of the research resources available at CCMAR- Algarve - from well-equipped labs to tailored experimental facilities and scientific dive centre.
The MarBiotech group focus its main areas of research on different biotechnological exploitations of microalgae and other marine organisms as seaweeds and halophyte plants. It is led by João Varela and Luísa Barreira, both professors at the University of Algarve with complementary backgrounds covering sciences such as Biology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, and Analytical Chemistry. The group contributes to CCMAR’s research line “Marine Products and Resources” through the isolation of novel microalgal strains that have raised the interest of the industry for possible applications in the food and feed markets. It also invests on the improvement of novel and industrial strains using genetic strategies as random mutagenesis combined with selective pressure to produce strains with interesting phenotypes allowing for a better integration of microalgae in the food/nutraceuticals industry. This is combined with the ability of the group to evaluate the bioactivity of microalgal, and other biomass, extracts, and detect and isolate compounds with possible applications in the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries. Focusing on the industrial development of microalgae, the group works also in collaboration with microalgae producing companies for the characterization and manipulation of the bacterial microbiome of industrial microalgae cultures to increase industrial productivity of biomass and value-added compounds. Recently, the group has exploited the application of microalgae for environmental services as wastewater treatment and upgrade, and for the bioremediation of contaminated environments. This was the subject of several collaborations with companies for the tertiary treatment of urban and greenhouse wastewaters and with wastewater treatment plants in Turkey and Greece for the removal of micropollutants.
Biology
Molecular Biology
Biochemistry
Analytical Chemistry