Institutional - Commitment

The commitment to quality is present in the various dimensions of life at U.Porto and ICBAS.

Although the University has been committed to quality since its beginnings, important steps have been taken in recent decades to stabilize and formalize the Quality Management System (QMS), a central vector in the "Culture of Quality" that runs through all of the University's activity. 2017 saw the culmination of this evolution of the QMS with its certification by A3ES.

ICBAS's strategy for the 2022-2026 quadrennium is supported by 6 axes, one of which is the development of Excellence Policies, within which it intends to continue to focus on strengthening training quality mechanisms, in particular through the adoption of good quality management practices, such as those that constitute, for example, some international certifications, in the case of training; or ISO certifications, with regard to the quality of services and organizational sustainability, on which ICBAS is currently working.

• Ethics and Integrity: ICBAS has a permanent focus on the observance of ethical and bioethical principles in the exercise of life and health sciences. To this end, it is committed, first and foremost, to complying with the U.Porto academic code of conduct. The ULSSA/ICBAS Ethics Committee and the Body Responsible for Animal Welfare (ORBEA) ensure that these principles are upheld, in the light of the values of human dignity and animal welfare.
• Safety: Concern for safety at ICBAS is expressed through the activities of the Occupational Safety, Health and Hygiene Service, which is also responsible for the school's environmental management and coordination. This service also seeks to identify and assess safety risks in the workplace, periodically monitoring exposure to chemical, physical and biological agents among ICBAS workers, helping to minimize risks to the safety and health of the community;
• Equality: Compliance with the principle of gender equality is one of ICBAS's commitments, in line with U.Porto's strategy to fully comply with SDG 5. This plan is a strategic instrument that establishes the University's priorities and objectives with a view to integrating a gender perspective into the institution's structure - in the production (research content) and transfer (teaching) of knowledge. U.Porto drew up and approved the first Gender Equality Plan - UP.
• Sustainability: concern for the environment and the promotion of good practices that promote sustainability in the workplace and the workplace is a constant in the life of ICBAS. This principle is expressed in the promotion of environmental management practices, recycling and waste treatment, which are clearly visible in the institution's spaces.
• Work-Family Reconciliation: ICBAS, in line with U.Porto's concern to promote the correct balance between the community's professional, family and personal life, seeks to guarantee a set of benefits and resources available on the Reconciliation Portal.

All ICBAS study cycles are subject to a regular external evaluation process promoted by the Agency for Assessment and Accreditation of Higher Education (A3ES), the entity responsible for the evaluation and accreditation of national study cycles. The accreditation of a study cycle ensures compliance with the legal requirements for its creation and operation, as well as a positive evaluation in the scientific and pedagogical criteria defined by A3ES.

• ICBAS has been awarded international certification for veterinary medicine training by the European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education (EAEVE) , which depends on compliance with a set of parameters within the scope of veterinary medicine training, as well as the existence of appropriate methods to monitor, guarantee and improve the quality of training, providing confidence to future and current students, employers, clients, funding organizations and professional associations.
• ICBAS, through the Council of Portuguese Medical Schools, is supporting A3ES in order to trigger the process of recognition by A3ES of the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) certification Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), which allows graduates not only to pursue specialization, but also the possibility of any clinical contact they wish, including in a research context in the United States of America (USA).
• ICBAS is currently carrying out the process of self-diagnosis of its doctoral programs in the light of the "Best Practices for PhD Training" of ORPHEUS (Organization for PhD Education in Biomedicine and Health Sciences in the European System), which aims to safeguard the doctorate as a research degree, supporting faculties, students and their supervisors through quality assurance mechanisms, and advocating best practices for training and professional development.

Because art and culture can also be a form of science.

At ICBAS we believe that art and culture can also be a form of science. That's why we work to make these two pillars vehicles for scientific communication and promotion.

Committed to forming good people rather than good professionals, we encourage our students to take part in the different forms of artistic expression that we promote throughout the year within the institution, interpreting art in its most varied expressions as a way of broadening their horizons.

ICBAS's relationship with art is also present in the figure of its patron, Abel Salazar. In fact, some of Abel Salazar's works of art, which perpetuate his life and work, are on display at ICBAS.

We are inspired by the beauty of small things and consider art to be the most genuine and transversal way of understanding humanity.

At ICBAS, art and culture are inseparable from the study of human, animal and environmental life and, like science, are seen as a gateway to a better future.

The academic integration of students, their academic success, their well-being and psychosocial development are a priority for ICBAS.

Through the Student Employability and Alumni Support Office (GAE), ICBAS is concerned with facilitating and promoting interaction with current, future and former students, in close liaison with the services and management organs.

GAE is also concerned with being an open door to psychological well-being, by offering free psychology consultations and promoting actions aimed at psychological literacy, such as the "Mensalmente" digital campaign, and environmental and mental well-being, with the Nature Baths.

Physical health is also valued, as can be seen in the "UPFIT Messages" scattered around the campus, resulting from the campaign to promote physical activity at the University of Porto, "Sport for all at U.Porto".