Group of Environmental Biotechnology

The Group of Environmental Biotechnology (GI-1613) of the University of Santiago de Compostela started its activity in 1985, focusing mainly on two research lines:
- Management and treatment of industrial and urban effluents
- Application and production of lignolytic enzymes

Both lines have been developed in parallel giving rise to a multitude of projects and specific contracts. Twenty years later the key words are still: "Bio", "Environment" and "Engineering", although its research lines have evolved according to the achieved targets and the new trends in research. The Group of Environmental Biotechnology (GI-1613) is composed by 10 teachers, 9 post-doctoral researchers, 1 technological manager, 3 laboratory technicians, 1 administrative and 1 communication manager and around 30 PhD students, 3-5 students from foreign universities that carry out projects or stays of 3 to 6 months and 5-10 master's degree students.
Mission and View of the Group

The Mission is to generate scientific and technological knowledge useful for a sustainable development of society and to train entrepreneurial researchers, promoting synergies in a human and stimulating environment. The View is to be renown at an international level due to the quality of its research, training, innovation and technology transfer.
Scientific background

In the last years (2013-2018), its scientific background can be summarized in 316 publications, 276 of them were SCI publications (67% of which were published in Q1), 40 Doctoral Theses, and 290 presentations at international congresses. In this period, the group was awarded with 15 European projects and international networks, 24 National projects and 30 contracts with companies that providede an average budget of 1.5M€. The group has also coordinated 3 Wastewater Treatment Networks at European (COST Action Water_2020), National (RedNovedar) and Regional (Rede REGATA) level. Since 2015 the Biogroup belongs to CRETUS, Cross-Research in Environmental Technologies, (ED431E 2018/01) a strategic partnership formed by 8 research groups of the University of Santiago de Compostela in order to develop and recover resources, through processes that are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. Since 2006 it is recognised as a Competitive Reference Group.