The Postgraduate Program in Biotechnology (PPGBiotec) of Univates, composed of the Concentration Areas Agrifood Biotechnology and Biotechnology in Health, seeks to encourage the development of agro-industry and the food industries of the State, potentiate the aggregation of value and technological development of the chain production of raw materials in RS and favor advances in the health area.
The Concentration Areas in Agrifood Biotechnology is focused on the sector's demand for innovation. Biotechnology applied to agriculture and food production will assist rural producers, industries, and professionals of the region in the study and development of food products and processes, in addition to improving the quality and productivity of vegetables and animals relevant to the agricultural industry, which will generate great socio-economic repercussions in the region. The Taquari Valley has biomes of great economic value that can be enhanced, with sustainability and without environmental degradation, through biotechnology. The region has agro-industrial infrastructure and logistics already installed, which facilitates regional development. The objective is to generate jobs and income, increasing local wealth through the appreciation of commodities, in addition to optimizing the production system and expanding the industrial base.
The Concentration Areas of Biotechnology in Health aims to address the various segments of research in human and animal health, in particular pathologies of epidemiological and economic importance in the southern region of Brazil. In addition, it involves the area of genomics, with its extension for the detection, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases, and the modulation of metabolic defects. Research carried out at PPGBiotec related to health addresses these diseases in different ways and has the potential to assist in understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms involved, as well as favoring the search for more effective treatments. Therefore, research projects linked to the area of biotechnology in health aim to act, in a multidisciplinary way, both in the understanding of molecular mechanisms associated with some multifactorial diseases, such as cardiovascular and metabolic diseases and in the search for new therapeutic approaches, focused on plant extracts from the region, for diseases such as cancer.
At Univates' PPGBiotec both Concentration Areas represent sectors with constant demands for new technologies or process improvement. Thus, the Graduate Program in Biotechnology at Univates is based on its solid relationship with the regional and national productive sector, supported by the institutional commitment already demonstrated by investments in research and the technology park. These conditions are decisive for the development of PPGBiotec's activities, resulting in scientific publications and the generation of patents.
- To train qualified human resources capable of generating and disseminating scientific and technological knowledge focused on Biotechnology in the areas of food production, and human and animal health, with an integrated view of socio-environmental and economic perspectives.
- To promote the specialization and continued training of higher education graduates able to
deal with the problem of Biotechnology related to food production, and human and animal health,
expanding the possibilities of performance and insertion in the labor market;
- To train professionals able to apply theoretical and practical knowledge in the various areas
of Biotechnology, including management and entrepreneurship, and encouraging innovation and
technological development in the region, in the State of Rio Grande do Sul and in Brazil;
- To train human resources in the field of Biotechnology, under a multi and interdisciplinary
perspective, to work in education, research, and public and private organizations, promoting
integration between these sectors through research and extension actions;
- To create and improve biotechnological products and processes in the current socio-economic
context, with a focus on primary and industrial food production, and on human and animal health,
combining the preservation of natural resources and sustainable exploitation, to add value and
improve the quality of life;
- To implement, along with local organizations, biotechnologies generated in the developed projects,
promoting technological innovations that add value to products and services, in accordance with public
development policies.
Graduates trained in master's and doctoral degrees in the Graduate Program in Biotechnology at Univates will be able to work in the field of Agrifood or Health Biotechnology, with a critical and innovative vision in the production, evaluation, and implementation of biotechnological products and processes, considering ethical, socioeconomic and environmental aspects.
Graduates in the Agrifood Biotechnology area will be professionals with mastery of basic and applied knowledge of Biotechnology, focused on primary and industrial food production. Their training will be committed to efficiency, quality, and productivity, in compliance with the precepts of the human right to adequate food and food security.
Graduates in the Biotechnology in Health area will be professionals qualified to detect and characterize microorganisms and investigate human and animal pathophysiology of epidemiological and economic importance, in addition to being able to develop techniques and processes that assist in diagnosis and treatment.
The professionals trained in this Graduate Program will be able to enter the job market and seek solutions using biotechnological tools, working at the local, regional, national and international levels. They must also be able to work in multidisciplinary teams, have an ethical-professional sense and socio-environmental responsibility, aiming at improving the quality of life.