Resources

The material resources available for the Doctoral Program in Biotechnology are broken down into (1) Common services of the UMA applicable to the Program (2) Resources available in the Faculty of Science, as the center responsible for the Program (3) Resources available in the research centers and networks associated with the Program or its researchers.

(1) Common services of the University of Málaga.

 The University of Malaga offers a series of common services for the training of the students of its Doctoral Programs, which are available for the training of the students of the Doctoral Programs of the UMA.

 Additionally, the researchers of the Advanced Biotechnology Program have access to general services integrated in the Andalucia Tech Campus both from the University of Malaga through its Central Research Support Service (SCAI) (http://www.scai.uma.es/), and those offered by the University of Seville through its Research, Technology and Innovation Center (CITIUS) (http://investigacion.us.es/scisi/sgi).

 
(2) Resources of the Faculty of Science.

 The Faculty of Sciences has the following material resources at the disposal of all its Doctoral Programs, including the Advanced Biotechnology Program.

 Theoretical-practical teaching classrooms (31); Computer classrooms (4); Integrated laboratories for practicals (9); Student laboratories in departments or areas involved in the development of the program:

Cell Biology (235.5 m2. Capacity 40 students); Genetics (40 m2. Capacity 16 students); Physiology (94 m2. Capacity 12 students);Plant Physiology (70.1 m2. Capacity 20 students); Ecology (143.7 m2. Capacity 24 students); Geology (129.8 m2. Capacity 30 students); Microbiology (155.7 m2 Capacity 20 students);

Library: 266 Reading places; catalog with Monographs: 38656; Journals: 1426.


(3) Resources available in the research centers and networks associated with the Program or its researchers

 All the research teams associated with the Advanced Biotechnology Program have their own material resources commensurate with their considerable level of funding, with fully equipped laboratories with small and medium-sized research equipment that is not detailed in this report. In addition, they have privileged access to the following large facilities and equipment, belonging to centers and networks in which they are integrated.

 3.1. Ibima-Platform Andalusian Center of Nanomedicine and Biotechnology (ibima-Platform BIONAND)

 All the research teams of the Doctoral Program, and especially the Bioengineering and Tissue Regeneration (BRT) and Neurogenesis (NGA) teams, use the facilities of Bionand, a joint center in which the Regional Ministry of Health, the Regional Ministry of Innovation, Science and Employment, and the University of Malaga participate, to support their research. The center has 6500 m2 and is located on the grounds of the Parque Tecnológico de Andalucía, near the Teatinos campus of the UMA. One of the three main lines of Bionand (Nanobiotechnology) is coordinated as principal investigator by the coordinator of the PhD program (José Becerra Ratia). The center has the following services with large equipment, available to the researchers of the program, which are an extraordinary complement to the facilities of the SCAI-UMA:

Magnetic resonance imaging service; Electron microscopy service; Advanced optical microscopy service; Histology service.

 3.2. Center for Biomedical Research Network in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN)

 The Bioengineering and Tissue Regeneration (BRT) research team, due to its membership of CIBERBBN, uses the facilities of this networked center to support its research, which has numerous complementary service units for research support, based on groups of unique and singular technical-scientific equipment, supported by the CIBER-BBN research groups that supervise each of them.

 3.3. Institute of Subtropical and Mediterranean Horticulture "La Mayora" (IHSM-UMA-CSIC)

 The research teams Plant-Pathogen Interaction (IPP), Plant Biotechnology (BVEG), and Improvement and Biotechnology of Fruit and Vegetable Species (MBEH) are mostly integrated (19/21) by staff researchers of the IHSM-UMA-CSIC, a joint UMA-CSIC research institute recently created to join the efforts of groups from the pre-existing Experimental Station "La Mayora" of the Spanish National Research Council (EELM-CSIC) and groups from several departments of the University of Malaga (UMA) to enhance and coordinate more efficiently the scientific research in intensive horticulture and subtropical fruit growing that was being developed in the two entities. The IHSM is part of the Campus of International Excellence Andalucía TECH, promoted by the Universities of Malaga and Seville. The IHSM researchers integrated in the PhD program constitute 65% of the institute's staff researchers, and include the current director of the center and its two vice-directors.

 3.3.1 The IHSM researchers integrated in the PhD program make use of the EELM facilities (Algarrobo Costa, Malaga), which include laboratories prepared for the development of biotechnology research, plastic covered greenhouses (1.9 ha) and greenhouses with biosafety levels N-1 and N-2 (900 m2), plant growth chambers with temperature, lighting and humidity control (5 chambers of 12 m2), arable land for horticultural field trials (20 ha), and a 12-room residence. The EELM also maintains germplasm banks of subtropical fruit trees and other crops of great agronomic importance (tomato and melon) for experimental use. The facilities are staffed by a team of specialized personnel (30 people) coordinated by 5 technicians who liaise with the researchers.

 3.3.2 Facility with a usable area of 600 m2 of greenhouses for growth and research on plant species, mainly horticultural and fruit species, by IHSM-UMACSIC groups, including those participating in the PhD program.

 3.4. Center for Ecology and Microbiology of Controlled Aquatic Systems (CEMSAC)

 The research teams Biotechnology of Aquatic Systems (BSA) and Ecophysiology of Aquatic Plants (EPA) have this large modular facility for integrated aquaculture and ecophysiology, coordinated by researchers associated with the program (Felix Lopez Figueroa), and located on UMA land (Grice-Hutchinson Experimental Farm) to support their research. This center is associated with the Institute of Biotechnology and blue developmen (IBYDA), has a REGA animal welfare code from the Junta de Andalucía for fish experimentation (ES") 067 0002043) and one of the rooms of the center is accredited with Biosafety level 2 (Resolution A/ES/19/I-25).

The facility is designed with a surface area of approximately 90 m2 in the covered greenhouse area, 150 m2 in the outdoor area, with the possibility of expansion. The facility has the expression of interest of the companies Acuimar, CMF, AquasolutionsBiotech, Proman, ctaquA, and EMASA. The resources available at the IAPA are summarized below:

 Tanks, aquariums, and culture tanks, intended to house the specimens under study (fish and algae). Auxiliary tanks, dedicated to water reserve and filtration, measuring equipment, recirculation and aeration, pre-filtration and decantation, dry-wet filter. Water distribution pumps; skimmers and biological filters; sterilization systems; UV and ozonizers; thermal regulation systems; coolers and heaters; water channeling and distribution circuit; electrical and lighting systems; filtering material (gravel; ceramics; PVC; bioballs; perlon and active carbon); handling, cleaning, maintenance and water quality control equipment. Auxiliary equipment includes submersible PAR-UVR radiation radiometers and calibrator, and 5 multichannel analyzers for oxygen, temperature and pH, and BOD equipment.