CNR-ISB, Institute for Biological Systems of the National Research Council
The National Research Council, CNR, is the main Italian body dedicated to scientific research and is made up of 115 institutes organized in 7 departments. The institution has over 8000 employees including 5000 graduates. The main institutional task of the CNR is to produce research of excellence and strategic relevance at an international level.
The Institute of Biological Systems, CNR-ISB, belongs to the Department of Agro-food and Biological Research (DISBA). It consists of 33 employees, of which 21 are researchers. The mission of the CNR-ISB is the development of sustainable technologies, processes and materials to improve the quality of life and the environment.
Thanks to a research staff with complementary and highly interdisciplinary skills, ranging from the various sectors of chemistry, to biology, physics and geology, ISB is engaged in three main thematic areas: food and agriculture, health, and environment & cultural heritage. The common objectives to the activities carried out by the institute are the improvement of basic knowledge in the aforementioned sectors and the practical applications that the scientific products developed can find, but also the dissemination and diffusion of the developed technologies, both towards the business sector both in the field of education and higher education.
Among the research activities carried out by CNR-ISB, those directly linked to the CHERISH project are the following:
- Technologies for soil improvement, aimed at developing new technologies and innovative materials to reduce water consumption in agriculture.
- Environmental diagnostics and technologies for the abatement of pollutants and pathogens, aimed at monitoring the environment and developing new technologies to determine bacteria in water and air in domestic environments, as well as to reduce the content of volatile organic compounds (VOC), fine particulate matter and bacteria in the environment.
- Study, diagnosis and treatment of cultural heritage and works of art, aimed at the advanced characterization of the state of conservation of cultural heritage and the development of innovative materials for their restoration.
In addition, ISB has a consolidated experience in VET and higher education, mainly gained through:
- Participation to various Erasmus+ projects dedicated to the VET System, such as “EN-VET: Environmental Sustainability in the VET System: a Powerful Tool for the Future” that has been recently recognized as Good Practice Example in the Erasmus+ Programme;
- Joint activities with Italian High Schools performed regularly within the framework of the National Didactic Programme “Alternanza Scuola Lavoro”, which is dedicated to high school students and aimed at offering formative experiences that combine school study with vocational courses.
In the CHERISH project, CNR-ISB collaborates with STEMP, the CNR structure that supports the General Manager in the fulfillment of the internal performance measurement and evaluation. Moreover, for specific activities required for the realization of the didactic modules, CNR-ISB involved colleagues of CNR-IGAG – Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering and CNR-ISAFoM – Insitute for Agricultural and Forestry System of the Mediterranean Area.
Contact Persons:
Piero Ciccioli piero.ciccioli @ cnr.it
Riccardo Coratella riccardo.coratella @ cnr.it
Website: http://www.isb.cnr.it/