Life Sciences
Working Group
Chair: Lino Ometto
Lino Ometto holds the position of Associate Professor of Zoology at the Department of Biology and Biotechnology of the University of Pavia. He grew up with a keen interest in animals and he likes to think of himself as a zoologist with a sweep net in one hand and a genome in the other. His research interests are aimed at better understanding the origin of adaptive traits in insects (& friends) using population genetics and molecular evolution approaches. After graduating in Biology from the University of Padova, he obtained his Ph.D. in Natural Sciences from the Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich under the supervision of Wolfgang Stephan. He then studied the evolution of gene expression in ants in Laurent Keller’s lab at the University of Lausanne. He has always enjoyed sharing his passion and interests with students and people in general, and he is regularly involved in outreach initiatives. He is president of the Italian Society for Evolutionary Biology.
Vice-Chair: Marta Camps Camprubí
Dr. Marta Camps Camprubí is Associate Professor in Biochemistry and Vice-Dean for international relations and student mobility of the Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona. She has been in charge of the student mobility at Faculty of Biology from 2009. Her research interests and expertise cover adipose tissue, obesity and diabetes and she is the author of more than 50 scientific papers in the biomedical field. She has been a member of the Life Sciences Working Group (Coimbra Group) since 2017 and from 2022 she has been coordinating the Life Sciences WG Blended Intensive Projects (BIPs).
Working Group Focus
The proposed actions aim to enhance the excellence and competitiveness of our universities within the life sciences, taking into account the full spectrum of academic activities, i.e. teaching, research and transfer.
The Working Group is focusing on developing common teaching and research strategies in the broadest possible context. We believe that Master’s programmes play a vital role in delivering high-level education, developing the skills of future life scientists and providing a first step in life science research and career development. We have identified Master’s-level projects of common interest through which to facilitate exchanges of students enrolled on these programmes, thereby fostering collaboration and networking among the participating institutions. We are also committed to discussing and taking action on relevant scientific topics, including the role of AI in research and the importance of basic science.
Priorities for 2026-2029
- Master’s in Cancer Biology
- Master’s in Immunology
- Blended Intensive Programmes and Student mobility
- Discussing the impact of AI on life science research and teaching
- Preparing a white paper on the importance of basic and curiosity-driven research
Recent highlights since September 2025
- BIPs (Blended Intensive Programmes)
- Inter-university Master’s programmes
Ongoing / Forthcoming activities 2026 – 2027
Research and Education:
- Master’s Bioscience Programmes
- Cancer Biology (responsible: Maria Sacristan, University of Salamanca)
- The Universities of Åbo Akademi, Barcelona, Coimbra, Cologne, Montpellier, Pavia, Salamanca, Tartu, Turku, Utrecht, Vilnius and Würzburg are involved.
- We are working to expand and strengthen participation among Coimbra Group universities in order to increase visibility and attract interested students. This includes the preparation of ad-hoc presentations and the organisation of supporting activities (e.g. summer school, webinars).
- Reapplication for Erasmus Mundus funding (Pavia, Montpellier, Montreal) coordinated by the University of Pavia.
- Immunology
We are actively promoting and exploring opportunities to join forces with interested partners in Barcelona, Montpellier, Poitiers and Turku to organise a Master’s programme in immunology.
- Cancer Biology (responsible: Maria Sacristan, University of Salamanca)
- Blended Intensive Programmes 2025-2026 (responsible coordinator: Marta Camps Camprubi, University of Barcelona)
- Environmental Remote Sensing 2025-2026 (2nd edition)
- Coordinated by Dr. Shawn Carlisle Kefauver, University of Barcelona, with the following partners: Coimbra Group member universities from Pavia, Poitiers and Würzburg as well as the Free University of Bolzano, Agr. Vet. Sci. Bucharest and the Universities of Eskişehir, Helsinki and Twente.
- Virtual part in April, in-person mobility in July.
- This course covers environmental remote sensing across agriculture, forestry, ecology, oceanography, urban planning, and climate change. It examines fixed sensors, field instruments, aerial platforms, and ESA/NASA satellites, exploring methodologies and best practices for assessing vegetation, water, soil, geological, and urban environments.
- Redox Biology in Health and Diseases 2025-2026 (2nd edition)
- Coordinated by Prof. Teresa Carbonell, University of Barcelona, with the following partners: Universities of Pavia, Wroclaw and Würzburg, and the participation of teachers from the Universities of Coimbra and Salamanca.
- Virtual part in April and May, in-person mobility in May, virtual symposium in June.
- This course explores redox biology and oxidative stress, from evolutionary stress signalling to ROS formation, free radical damage to biomolecules, and antioxidant defence systems. Topics include redox signalling in exercise physiology, oxidative damage in metabolic, cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and cancer pathologies, and methodologies for analysing oxidative stress markers.
- Complex Diseases 2025-2026 (2nd edition)
- Coordinated by Dr. Esther Esteban, University of Barcelona, with the following partners: Coimbra Group member universities from Montpellier and Würzburg, as well as the Universities of Cagliari, PSL and Strasbourg.
- Virtual part in April and May, in-person mobility in June.
- This course explores the multidisciplinary basis of complex diseases, examining how genetic, morphological, and environmental factors interact to present diagnostic and research challenges for clinicians and scientists.
- Environmental Remote Sensing 2025-2026 (2nd edition)
- Summer Course 2026
- Human Organoids: Model Systems for Human Biology and Medicine 2025-2026
- Coordinated by Dr. Ana Sevilla, University of Barcelona, with the following partners: Coimbra Group member universities of Montpellier and Vilnius as well as the Karolinska Institute.
- This course covers stem cell biology and regenerative medicine, including reprogramming, differentiation, brain organoids, genetic manipulation, key laboratory techniques, ethics, and science communication.
- Human Organoids: Model Systems for Human Biology and Medicine 2025-2026
Education, Innovation and Policy Actions:
- Artificial Intelligence, research and life sciences
- In collaboration with the Education and Innovation WG (and possibly the STEM WG), we plan to organise a one-day workshop on AI in grant writing and evaluation.
- The event will be open to students, researchers, research support staff and policymakers. The workshop aims to: produce practical guidelines on the dos and don’ts of AI use in EU grant writing; analyse how AI affects proposal development and evaluation; understand and support ethical AI use among PhD and Master’s students; encourage and promote cross-institutional dialogue within the Coimbra Group.
- We aim to discuss this further at the Annual Conference 2026 in Granada, with the intention of organising the workshop by the end of 2026 (pending financial support from the Coimbra Group).
- On the importance of basic and curiosity-driven research
- We plan to prepare a white paper on the importance of basic and curiosity-driven research, and how this should be considered by the European Commission when planning funding opportunities.
- Our goal is to have a final version ready by the end of 2026.
Ongoing / Forthcoming activities 2027 – 2029
Research and Education:
- Master’s Bioscience Programmes
- Cancer Biology and Immunology
- Regular monitoring of the progress of Master’s programmes and the active seeking of new partners are both essential.
- Encouraging greater involvement from researchers at current member institutions to increase the number of participating students.
- Master Global Change Ecology
A double-degree programme of the Universities of Bergen and Würzburg has started in 2025. Other CG universities may become involved in it.
- Cancer Biology and Immunology
- Virtual exchanges
- We are exploring the possibility of organising virtual exchanges. There is growing interest among institutions with shared interests in organising such activities, which could reinforce and enhance existing collaborations within Master’s programmes.
- One option would be to have specific classes taught in a hybrid format, whereby local teachers deliver their classes online as part of an equivalent or similar course at other institutions. We are actively discussing this opportunity and aim at having a pilot try in 2027.
- Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs)
- New editions of the following BIPs (pending confirmation from the Organisational Support; see above for details):
- Environmental Remote Sensing (coordinated by Dr. Shawn Carlisle Kefauver, University of Barcelona)
- Complex Diseases (coordinated by Dr. Esther Esteban, University of Barcelona)
- Human Organoids: model systems for human biology and medicine (coordinated by the University of Montpellier)
- Redox Biology in Health and Diseases (coordinated by the University of Coimbra)
- BIPs currently in the design phase:
- Immunology and Microbiology (coordinated by the University of Poitiers, with Åbo Akademi and the University of Montpellier).
- Liposomes to improve pharmacological treatments of infectious and cancer diseases
- Coordinated by Prof. Amparo Sanchez Navarro and Maria Sacristan, University of Salamanca, with the University of Würzburg).
- This course examines nanotechnology in pharmaceutical applications, focusing on liposomal drug delivery systems for cancer and infectious diseases. Students will integrate molecular biology with pharmacology to design targeted nanocarriers optimising therapeutic efficacy while minimising side effects.
- New editions of the following BIPs (pending confirmation from the Organisational Support; see above for details):
Education, Innovation and Policy Actions:
- Artificial Intelligence, research and life sciences
- Based on the results of the workshop and the ongoing debate and advances of AI in life sciences research, we are keen to continue the dialogue with the other working groups on this topic.
- Our aim is to be prepared to respond to the growing need for regulations and ethical considerations, as well as to promote the efficient and productive use of AI in our field, in both research and education.
- Policy actions and engagement
- We would like to increase engagement and promote the Coimbra Group within our institutions. We are planning to use a standard presentation to showcase our activities, as well as designing a survey for our colleagues in our institutions and faculties. This survey will ascertain whether they are familiar with the Coimbra Group and the Life Sciences (LS) WG, and gather their suggestions on how our WG can better support them.
- Additionally, we would like to understand what kind of support our institutions currently provide when we apply for funding. This will help us to assess any imbalances that could strongly affect the quality and success of grant applications, which extend far beyond scientific research and the quality of researchers.
For instance, we aim to obtain insights into the following: What could make LS research easier? How is policy affecting our work? What support do we need from our universities? Our goal is to gain an overall view of the support that researchers receive from their institutions, and to inform CG Representatives of the necessary actions to reduce inequalities between CG institutions.
Our aim is to launch the surveys in 2026, after which we will take the relevant actions in subsequent years.
Contact person at the CG Office: Ester Zangrandi (zangrandi@coimbra-group.eu)