ICBAS, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, hereinafter referred to as ICBAS, is an organic unit (or faculty) of the University of Porto (U.Porto) with a university school structure focused on teaching, scientific research, culture and the provision of services to the community.

The scientific domains of ICBAS are within the scope of Fundamental and Applied Biology, namely in the areas of health, environment, animal production, as well as food processing and management. Thus, essentially technological or techno-professional, ICBAS training focuses on the preparation for the professional practice on human medicine, veterinary medicine, aquatic sciences, biochemistry and bioengineering, and offers also post-graduate specialization in these and related areas.

Student preparation requires highly qualified and professionally demanding teachers. In accordance,

ICBAS works in close collaboration with several entities, such as the Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Porto (CHUP) (fusion of former Hospital Geral de Santo António, Children's Hospital Maria Pia and Maternity Júlio Dinis), Hospital Magalhães Lemos, Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Porto Francisco Gentil (IPO), Hospital Joaquim Urbano in Vila Nova de Gaia, Centro Hospitalar do Nordeste of Bragança and Health Centers of the Northern region, where students receive part of their training.

In addition to the central pole that ICBAS has at Polo I of the University, in the center of Porto city, this organic unit has facilities on the Campus Agrário of Vairão, namely the Instituto de Ciências Agrárias de Vairão (ICAV), in Vila do Conde, where, in addition to teaching veterinary sciences, clinical research is practiced within this area, through the Animal Reproduction Center of Vairão (CRAV) and Equine Clinical Center of Vairão (CCEV).

In parallel, ICBAS collaborates with important research institutions associated with the U.Porto, such as the Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S), a consortium comprising the Institute for Molecular and Cellular Biology (IBMC), the Institute of Pathology and Molecular Immunology (IPATIMUP) and INEB (Institute of Biomedical Engineering), and others such as the Interdisciplinary Center of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR). ICBAS also includes two research units located at his central pole: UMIB (Unit for Multidisciplinary Research in Biomedicine) dedicated to areas like anatomy, pharmacology, molecular biology and cytology) and MedInUP (Center for Pharmacological Research and Drug Innovation).

It should also be noted that these partnerships are extended to national and foreign public entities, namely the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), the Littoral Station of Aguda (ELA), the Faculties of Science and of Engineering of U.Porto and also universities and research institutes in France, Spain, Germany, United Kingdom, Sweden, Netherlands, Romania, Thailand, United States of America, Chile, Argentina and Brazil, among others.

ICBAS also offers specialized services to the community, such as complementary diagnostic tests, collaborating with the Hospitals of Santo António, S. João, IPO Porto and Lisbon, the Institute of Medical Genetics, Hospital Maria Pia and Institute of Legal Medicine of Porto, in areas like:

• Clinic and surgery for pets (consultations, treatments ...);
• Large animal clinic and surgery;
• Diagnosis of Chromosomal Instability (DIC);
• Support for aquaculture implementation projects;
• Support to the food and fish industries;
• Analysis of water quality;
• Studies in the areas of ecotoxicology and the environment;
• Education and training programs in specific intervention areas.

With regard to human resources, ICBAS has about 300 professors, of which 150 have a PhD, and about 30 full professors, who provide education from the 1st to the 3rd study cycles, continuous training courses and the performance of research, from basic to applied.

ICBAS has internationally renowned researchers in its human resources, who develop significant work in multiple scientific areas, such as anatomy, cell biology, pharmacology, immunology, pathology, psychology, toxicology and chemistry, continuously producing and increasing number of scientific articles in specialized international publications.

ICBAS has a Center of Simulation on Biomedicine, associated with clinical teaching, which includes simulators of different pathologies, some of which are unique in the country, such as new cardiovascular pathology simulators.

The Center of Simulation on Biomedicine is accessible to students in the clinical cycle and is equipped with simulation models of basic life support, immediate life support, examination of the eyes and ears, rectal examination, cardiorespiratory pathologies, patient intubation, obstetrics and gynaecology, among others. ICBAS bets on the postgraduate offer for its students and the general public, offering Master's degrees in various branches of health and life sciences, as well as PhDs in different areas.

To respond effectively to its ambitious educational project, ICBAS currently occupies new facilities together with the Faculty of Pharmacy, located at Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, next to the Pavilhão Rosa Mota / Palácio de Cristal. The process of sharing between ICBAS and the Faculty of Pharmacy makes thus possible the existence of a large Health Pole, in the broadest sense of the term, in close collaboration with many of the entities linked to health, from which everyone can benefit.

As part of its openness to society, ICBAS offers to secondary schools and their students the opportunity to take guided tours of their laboratories, anatomical museum and consultation of the vast bibliography in the ICBAS / FFUP Library. The extracurricular activities provided by ICBAS, AEICBAS and other associations based at ICBAS (such as the prestigious Choir of “Biomédicas”) are numerous and enriching, contributing to the reputation of this institution.