Few places in Europe offer a natural environment as extraordinary as the Azores. Rising from the middle of the Atlantic, the nine volcanic islands are home to unique terrestrial and marine ecosystems, remarkable biodiversity, and a landscape where science and nature coexist in ways found almost nowhere else. Beginning this academic year, the University of the Azores is placing that natural advantage at the center of a new educational initiative with the launch of its first Bachelor’s Degree in Biotechnology, a program designed to prepare students for one of the fastest-growing scientific fields of the twenty-first century.
The new undergraduate degree, to be offered at the University’s Angra do Heroísmo campus on Terceira Island during the 2026–2027 academic year, represents the principal addition to the institution’s academic offerings and reflects a growing commitment to research, innovation, and the emerging bioeconomy.
Describing the new program, the University emphasizes that biotechnology combines “the best of two worlds: Biology and Technology,” creating a dynamic discipline that is transforming industries while driving scientific discovery and economic development across the globe.
For the University, there could be few more appropriate places to study biotechnology than the Azores themselves.
“This archipelago is an authentic open-air natural laboratory,” the institution notes. “From the depths of the ocean to its volcanic landscapes on land, the Azores offer exceptionally rich and diverse ecosystems, ideal for discovery, research, and innovation. It is within this unique environment that biotechnology comes to life.”
The three-year degree will welcome 25 students in its inaugural class, providing a curriculum that bridges biological sciences with technological applications while taking advantage of the University’s internationally recognized expertise in marine science, agriculture, environmental research, and biodiversity.
Graduates will enter a profession whose opportunities continue to expand across multiple sectors.
The University highlights career pathways in the agri-food industry, bioindustries, pharmaceutical research, laboratory diagnostics, and environmental biotechnology, where graduates may work in product development, quality assurance, and technological innovation. Additional opportunities exist within scientific research institutions, biotechnology companies, emerging start-ups, and public agencies responsible for regulation, biosafety, and environmental protection.
In many respects, the program reflects the changing character of the Azorean economy itself.
Traditionally associated with agriculture, fisheries, and tourism, the Region has increasingly invested in knowledge-based industries built upon its exceptional natural resources. Biotechnology offers the possibility of transforming marine organisms, volcanic ecosystems, endemic biodiversity, and agricultural innovation into new scientific discoveries and commercially valuable applications.
The new degree also strengthens the already diverse academic profile of the University’s Terceira campus.
Students will continue to have access to preparatory studies for the Integrated Master’s Degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences, completing their first two years in the Azores before continuing at the University of Porto. The campus also maintains undergraduate programs in Agricultural Sciences and Nature and Heritage Guiding, alongside preparatory studies in Veterinary Medicine, allowing students to begin their education in the Azores before completing their degrees at the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro.
Graduate education remains equally comprehensive.
Terceira continues to offer postgraduate specializations in Animal Science, Water Resource Sustainability, Environmental Management, Food Science, Technology and Safety, Animal Welfare, and Agronomy, together with master’s degrees in Food Technology and Safety, Nature Management and Conservation, Animal Engineering, Water Systems Engineering and Management, Agricultural Engineering, Organic Agriculture, and Rural Development.
Doctoral opportunities include programs in Interdisciplinary Landscape Management and Agricultural Sciences, reinforcing the University’s role as one of the Atlantic’s leading research institutions.
Across its three campuses, the University of the Azores is offering 665 places through Portugal’s first phase of the national higher education admissions process, with applications remaining open until August 6. An additional 210 places are available through special admissions pathways.
Another important academic innovation will debut this year on the University’s Ponta Delgada campus, where the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities is introducing a new Master’s Degree in Science Communication.
Recognizing that scientific discovery carries little value unless it can also be understood by society, the program prepares graduates for careers in communication within research centers, universities, museums, science centers, healthcare institutions, technology parks, and organizations promoting scientific tourism. Professional opportunities also include science journalism, media relations, digital communication, multimedia production, and scientific curation.
Together, the two new programs reveal a broader vision for the University’s future.
One seeks to generate new scientific knowledge by exploring the extraordinary biological wealth of the Azores. The other aims to ensure that such knowledge reaches society through effective communication, public engagement, and informed dialogue.
In doing so, the University of the Azores continues to build upon one of its greatest strengths: transforming the archipelago itself into a classroom, a laboratory, and a living source of discovery. For students drawn to science, innovation, and the unique environments of the North Atlantic, the islands are no longer simply a place to study—they are becoming a place where the future of biotechnology and scientific communication is being shaped.
Based on a story published in Diário Insular-José Lourenço-director. Photo from DI.