We FCUP
Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (FCUP) is one of the oldest and largest schools of the University of Porto and its origins go back to 1762 with the Foundation of “Aula Nautica”. The creation of the University of Porto in 1911, converted the existing Polytechnic Academy into a Faculty of Sciences. Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto aims at generate and disseminate knowledge in Science and Technology in order to contribute to the grand Society Global Challenges. It is positioned as a High Education Institution of excellency in Exact and Natural Sciences and their technological applications, providing a multidisciplinary background that allies passion for discover with academic rigor and technological pragmatism. It pursues RD&I activities to provide excellency to Teaching and Science & Technology development, boosted by the diversity of its scientific community and through international collaborations.
FCUP perceives its insertion into Society as a third dynamic pillar through Continuing Education, Science & Technology dissemination, knowledge valorization through community partnerships/consultancy and intends to imbue in its Students the ability to apply Science &Technology to contributing to sustainable world, aligned with the Goals of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, UN.
FCUP hosts six departments: Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Geosciences, Environment and Territory Planning, Mathematics, Physics and Astronomy and Computer Science, composed by highly-qualified teaching/research staff, responsible for more than 70 teaching programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Programmes covers the traditional disciplines of Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Biology, Geology and Computer Science as well as other fields of studies, such as Survey Engineering, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Information Technologies, Cybersecurity, Bioinformatics, Biochemistry, Data Science, Landscape Architecture and Environmental and Agricultural Sciences. The teaching and research staff of the Faculty is deeply committed with RD&I within 19 high-performing Research Units being responsible for nearly 23 percent of the scientific output of the University of Porto. FCUP intends to reinforce its contribution to Portuguese excellency in High Education, and together with its associated Research Units to continue as a top reference RD&I entity. The ecosystem existing at FCUP originated several spinoffs and allows offering multiple external services in several areas of expertise. Some of the services are provided by specialized groups or laboratories namely: the Laboratory of Documents and handwriting (LEDEM), the office of Statistics, Modelling and Computational Applications (GEMAC), the Laboratory for Risk Assessment of Soil and water interactions (LABRISK), the Laboratoty of Peptide synthesis (POP-UP), C3P the Centre for Cybersecurity and Privacy and the Landscape Observatory. Stemming from the research laboratories at FCUP several spinoffs have been created.
In 1990 FCUP moved out of the historical building in Gomes Teixeira square to modern buildings with well equipped laboratories located in Campo Alegre campus. Furthermore FCUP carries also its mission at the: Geophysical Institute, Astronomic Observatory “Manuel Barros “, Marine Biology station, and Agro-Biodiversity in the Campus of Vairão (Vila do Conde).
