At a Glance  ||  History  ||  Organization  ||  Mission  ||  Research Highlights

Since the creation of an education unit in the area of Earth Sciences, at NOVA University of Lisbon (UNL) (December 1974), the contracted teachers, most of them previously integrated into the "Centro de Estudos de Geologia Pura e Aplicada" (Center for Studies of Pure and Applied Geology) of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, committed themselves to the establishment of a research unit at the UNL.

Following the policy of the "Instituto de Alta Cultura" (IAC), which was coordinated by the Education Ministry and responsible for scientific research between 1952 and 1976, the "Centro de Estratigrafia e Paleobiologia" (CEP - Center for Stratigraphy and Paleobiology) of the University of Lisbon was approved in November 1975. The coordinator was Prof. Miguel Telles Antunes. This centre was later renamed to "Centro de Estratigrafia e Paleobiologia"  - Center of Stratigraphy and Paleobiology of the NOVA University of Lisbon (CEPUNL). It was dependent and financed by the "Instituto Nacional de Investigação Científica" (INIC) - National Institute for Scientific Research, which succeeded to IAC.

The main research lines of CEPUNL were stratigraphy, paleobiology, and cartography of Jurassic and Cenozoic formations of the Lusitanian and Algarve basins. In February 1994, research in the area of Earth Sciences was reorganized into two research centres: CEPUNL (Coordinator - Prof. Rogério Rocha) was retained, and "Centro de Estudos Geológios" (CEG) Center for Geological Studies (Coordinator - Prof. Miguel Telles Antunes), specialized in Stratigraphy, Paleobiology and Cartography of Cenozoic formations was created. In turn, the research at CEPUNL has diversified into the Geology of Sedimentary Basins, Applied Geosciences (Applied Geology, Environmental Geology and Natural Resources) and Training, Dissemination and Research initiation.

In this new context, researchers of the CEPUNL proposed in December 1999 the modification of their designation to the "Centro de Investigaçao em Geociências Aplicadas", Center for Research in Applied Geosciences (CIGA).

In 2011, as part of a new reorganization of the research centres proposed by the Foundation for Science and Technology of the Ministry of Science and Technology (FCT / MCT) of less dispersion of researchers and creation of larger centres, FCT-NOVA decided to propose the creation of the new Center for Research in Geological Sciences and Engineering (CICEGe) (Coordinator - Prof. João Pais), which corresponded to the previous research centres CEG/UNL and CIGA.

Later, in 2013, the inclusion in the DCT of teachers of the agroforestry sector led to the creation of a new area of research in Agroforestry within CICEGe.

Since January 2015, in response to the new FCT / MCTES orientation for the concentration of researchers in units with even greater scientific capacity, the CICEGe was extinct and the teachers and researchers transferred to GeoBioTec (GeoBioSciences, GeoTechnologies and GeoEngineering) constituting 3 research groups at the NOVA pole: Agroforestry (PI: Fernando Lidon), 3G-Nova pole (PI: José Almeida) and Sedimentary Basins and Palaeontology (PI: Paulo Legoinha). 

In 2019, GeoBioTec was rated VERY GOOD after the 2017/2018 R&D Unit Evaluation by FCT.

In 2020, Fernando Lidon was elected Coordinator of the GeoBioTec-NOVA pole, as well as the PI of each group: Agroindustrial Technology (PI: Fernando Reboredo), 3G-Nova pole (PI: José Almeida) and Sedimentary Basins and Palaeontology (PI: Octávio Mateus).

Finally, in 2022, the actual Coordinator of the GeoBioTec-NOVA pole was elected (Fernando Reboredo) as well as the new PI of each group: Agroindustrial Technology (PI: Manuela Simões), 3G-Nova pole (PI: José Almeida) and Sedimentary Basins and Palaeontology (PI: Paulo Legoinha).