RESEARCH INSTITUTES

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The University has several Institutes that are dedicated to research, teaching, and the expansion and development of the culture in specific areas. These three areas of operation are promoted and maintained with high quality standards in articulation with the Academic Units of the University. There is an emphasis on interdisciplinary projects, whose objectives are to associate different areas of knowledge, join teaching and research, and encourage activities related to the performed research.

Bioethics Institute (IB)
www.pucrs.br/ib

The Bioethics Institute (IB) was created in 2007. It has the objectives of promoting and developing philosophical, methodological, and scientific investigation in the field of bioethics; training towards technically, scientifically, and ethically improving human resources in bioethics in a permanent manner; creating and designing resources to disseminate the scientific production of the University in bioethics; disseminating bioethics culture, from the integration of the University with the community in general; and strengthening the University as a reference in bioethics in national and international terms.

The interdisciplinary Specialization Program in Bioethics of IB aims to provide a basic and integral vision of bioethics, sparking the interest of the participant in the reflection and debate of bioethics problems, whether they are philosophical, scientific, legal, health-related, environmental, or economic, and training participants for activities in Hospital Ethics Committees and for research on human beings or animals.

IB acts in international partnership with the Joint Bioethics Teaching Network and Global Bioethics and the AECI Bioethics Teaching Network.

Brain Institute of Rio Grande do Sul (InsCer)
www.pucrs.br/inscer

The Brain Institute of Rio Grande do Sul (InsCer) is a reference center in the treatment and investigation of neurological diseases, interdisciplinary research in neuroscience, and cellular therapy in Brazil. InsCer was founded as an innovative proposal and is unequaled in Latin America: it is a center that combines patient care, cutting-edge research, and the most advanced diagnostic technologies.

The alliance between research and clinical studies has the potential to leverage the treatment standards of the treatment of neurological, neuro-oncological, neurovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases, such as epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease.

The Institute is served by the Unified Health System (SUS) and performs experimental, pre-clinical, and clinical research to generate and spread knowledge for the entire population.

Institute of Geriatrics and Gerontology (IGG)
www.pucrs.br/igg

The Institute of Geriatrics and Gerontology (IGG) was created in 1973 and implemented in 1975 as the first cooperative project established by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Latin America. It is a pioneering institution in the training of personnel to work in geriatric practice and to develop knowledge on the aging process.

The main objectives of the Institute are the teaching of graduate students and the development of research in the field of aging, annually offering graduate courses at the levels of specialization, master’s, doctorate, medical residence, and extension in geriatric and assistance.

To perform its work, the Institute has laboratories for basic and clinical research and also maintains an outpatient service that treats the general public and an inpatient hospital service connected to the São Lucas Hospital (HSL) of PUCRS. With this, the IGG provides Brazilian professionals with the opportunity for systematic contact with the most advanced studies in the field of human aging and the prevention and treatment of diseases characteristic of advanced age.

Institute of the Envionment and Natural Resources (IMA)
www.pucrs.br/ima

The Institute of the Environment and Natural Resources (IMA) was created in 1998. It has the objective of encouraging and promoting activities in the University and the community related to the preservation of the environment.

The IMA manages the ‘Pró-Mata’ Research Center and Nature Conservancy, located in the municipality of São Francisco de Paula in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, which is geared toward the interaction of humans with nature. The ‘Pró-Mata’ project was developed from the idea of creating a conservation area of approximately 4,500 ha for research and conservation of nature, proposed by the University of Tübingen in Germany, with which PUCR has had a cooperative agreement since 1983.

The Center of Excellence in Research and Innovation on Petroleum, Mineral Resources and Carbon Storage (Cepac) is the first Brazilian center for excellence in the research and development of technologies for industries involved with petroleum, mineral resources, and the geological storage of CO2. It constitutes a joint initiative between PETROBRAS and PUCRS through the IMA.

The IMA also includes the Committee on Environmental Management of PUCRS (CGA), which has the objective of supporting the University Higher Administration in the formulation of policies and actions aimed at the environmental management of the campuses. Other objectives are to encourage, approve, and promote activities related to the conservation of the environment in the University and in the community involved through administrative procedures, teaching, research, and extension activities.

Biomedical Research Institute (IPB)
www.pucrs.br/ipb

The Biomedical Research Institute (IPB) was created in 1997. It is a center that develops technology and knowledge to improve the understanding, prevention, and treatment of diseases that affect the Brazilian population. IPB, in partnership with the São Lucas Hospital (HSL) of PUCRS, is a pioneer in stem cell research. It has the objective of developing high-quality research to improve diagnostics, prevention, and treatment of diseases to promote and foster the communication and application of this information and related discoveries in society.

IPB is a center of excellence in biomedical research, developing projects in basic research, elucidating pathophysiological mechanisms, and the application of advanced technologies, with an emphasis on translational studies. These activities are developed through a network of partnerships with different laboratories and centers of the Institute with national and international research centers.

Institute of Toxicology and Pharmacology (INTOX)
www.pucrs.br/intox

The Institute of Toxicology and Pharmacology (INTOX) is a interdisciplinary unit dedicated to research, teaching, extension, and service-providing activities with an emphasis on the training of human resources, in addition to quality scientific and innovative production.

INTOX was created in 1991 with the following objectives: performing extension activities linked to research projects or teaching of graduate students in the field of toxicology, offering support to research and teaching activities in the field of toxicology developed by other university units, and supporting community actions in the field of toxicology offered by other university units and supplementary agencies of PUCRS. It offers a specialization program in applied toxicology and research in the fields of medications, drug abuse, and forensic and occupational toxicology.