Registry of Biodiversity Institutions, Collections and Databases: Institution

Description

The Estación Experimental del Zaidín (EEZ) is a research Centre of the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) Agency. The activity of the EEZ is mainly focused in the field of Agricultural Sciences and is organized in four departments: • Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology of Plants • Soil Microbiology and Symbiotic Systems • Environmental Protection • Phisiology and Biochemistry of the Animal Nutrition (Animal Nutrition Seat) The center has a strong vocation for knowledge transfer. Promoting sustainable agriculture and livestock and patenting of new procedures derived from basic studies are crucial to preserve and expand cooperation with agricultural and biotechnology companies. Fruit of the development of these technologies have also been several spin-off started by researchers from the EEZ. The EEZ is devoted to training new scientific talents at all levels (undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students, postdocs, and laboratory technicians). The center takes part in several Masters and PhD programs at the University of Granada, and has its own program of seminars and courses. To communicate the results of our research to society and to the political, agricultural and business sectors is a priority for the EEZ. The Unit of Scientific Culture coordinates outreach activities, including exhibitions, workshops, introduction to research for high school students, or informative talks, among others. Collaboration and interaction with laboratories and universities in other countries, encouraging our staff to participate in international consortia, is a central hub of our activity. The EEZ regularly receives foreign visitors for research stays in our laboratories. In addition to science, the human aspect is important at the EEZ. We have a clear policy on gender equality and non-discrimination, and we intend to promote comradeship. The research carried out complies with the principles of ethics, animal welfare and good laboratory practice. There are safety protocols and action plans in case of emergency.