The Università Politecnica delle Marche (Polytechnic University of Marche, UNIVPM) is a public university established in Ancona (Italy) in 1971. It has a clear scientific and technological focus and is very active and performant in the European R&D&I. UNIVPM is currently coordinating or managing more than 70 H2020/HEU projects. Within the Mediterranean basin, UNIVPM has key coordinating roles being the seat of the UniAdrion Secretariat, which is a “Network of Universities” established with the purpose to create a permanent connection among Universities and Research centers from the Adriatic-Ionian Region. The list of Horizon2020 funded projects where UNIVPM is coordinator or partner is available here https://www.univpm.it/Entra/Research_1/European_Research/Horizon_2020/Horizon_2020_-_Progetti
The Department of Life and Environmental Sciences (DiSVA) of the Università Politecnica delle Marche (UNIVPM) was established in 2011 by merging a number of laboratories involved in a wide spectrum of fundamental and applied research topics. The department includes more than 100 scientists and technicians that conduct research in areas such as analytical and organic chemistry, biophysics, cellular and molecular biology, biochemistry and genetics, microbiology and biotechnology, viral, prokaryotic, fungal, algal, plant and animal systematics, physiology and reproduction, marine biology, ecology, eco-toxicology, oceanography, Earth sciences, risk reduction and civil protection. In the last five years, scientists from DiSVA publish approximately 200 ISI papers (Web of Science) per year, on average cited more than 2500 times per year. These scientists directly collaborate with numerous research centers and Large Scale facilities worldwide coordinating and carrying out several national and international research projects (including EU programs from FP5 to FP7). The DISVA participates in the National Antarctic Research Program and is involved in international expeditions to the Arctic and the world’s oceans. DISVA is also a local unit of several research consortia (e.g. the Italian Consortium for Marine Science – CoNISMa, the Italian Consortium for Physics of Matter – CNISM, and the High Tech Recycling Center – HTR), and hosts the headquarters of the Italian Association of Oceanology and Limnology (AIOL), the Italian Society of Ecology (SITE), the Italian Society of Neutron Spectroscopy (SISN) and the Italian Zoological Union (UZI). It also hosts the editorial office of several international scientific journals (e.g. Chemistry and Ecology, Advances in Oceanography and Limnology, Marine Environmental Research, TheScientificWorld Journal: Biophysics). Aquaculture is a core expertise of the laboratory of developmental and reproductive biology at the Life Science Department (DiSVA). This laboratory has developed significant expertise in the field of fish feeding studies and welfare through innovative laboratory approaches. Specifically, the research group leaded or participated to different national and international projects related to the application of alternative and sustainable aquafeed ingredients for the culture of species of interest in the mediterranean area. The lab is well-equipped for molecular biology analyses as well as all the equipment for histology and FT-IR spectroscopy. DiSVA counts with the following research infrastructures relevant to the project: Infrastructure Laboratory of Advanced Microscopy (AFM, FTIR and Raman Imaging; confocal microscope; flow cytometer and Automated Live Cell Imager); the “Aquarium” Laboratory, with a total water volume of more than 25.000 L contained in fiberglass and glass aquaria for approximately 200 mesocosms, which can host demonstrative pilot and demo studies on both fresh and marine species.
Our research group has extensive experience in coordinating and participating in both national and international research projects, including major funding schemes such as Horizon Europe, SBEP, Cariverona, AGER, and Caritro, with a strong focus on sustainable aquaculture.
Our activities are primarily centered on the evaluation of innovative and sustainable aquafeeds. In particular, we investigate alternative ingredients such as insect meal, single-cell proteins, microalgae, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) derived from microbial sources. A key strength of our approach lies in the valorization of agro-industrial side streams, achieved through close collaboration with multidisciplinary research groups within our university, thereby contributing to circular economy strategies.
In addition, our group has a well-established expertise in assessing fish welfare through a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach. This includes the evaluation of zootechnical performance, biochemical parameters, hormonal profiling, histological and molecular analyses, microbiome characterization, as well as advanced techniques such as FTIR spectroscopy.
We also have access to fully equipped experimental facilities, including a state-of-the-art aquaculture system capable of hosting both marine and freshwater species, as well as shellfish. Furthermore, we routinely work with established experimental models such as zebrafish, allowing us to integrate applied and fundamental research.
We believe that our expertise, infrastructure, and strong collaborative network make us a reliable and valuable partner for projects aiming to advance sustainable and innovative aquaculture.
