# About us
**Source**: https://www.uc.pt/mia/mia-portugal/
**Parent**: https://www.uc.pt/mia/
PT[EN](https://www.uc.pt/en/mia/mia-portugal/)
[MIA - Portugal | Multidisciplinary Institute of Ageing](https://www.uc.pt/mia/)
[Entrar](https://apps.uc.pt/)
# About us
### The Institute
### We are committed to being on the frontline of healthy ageing research and innovation, bringing the achievements of the scientific world to the community
## Mission & Vision
- Improve health life expectancy
- Perform fundamental & translational research
- Be a Top 5 European Centre in Biology of Ageing
- Boost an international network on Ageing Research
- Reduce the socio-economic burden of age-related diseases
- Foster excellence in a low-performing country.
## Strategic Aims
- Identify lifestyle factors of healthy ageing
- Unravel underlying mechanisms
- Develop novel interventions
## Scientific Aims
- Prolonging healthspan
- Preventing chronic diseases
### Governance and Technical Team
Manuel Santos
Scientific Director
[mansilvasantos[at]uc.pt](mailto:mansilvasantos[at]uc.pt)
Ana Sofia Varanda
Director of Innovations
[aspvaranda[at]uc.pt](mailto:aspvaranda[at]uc.pt)
Rosa Sancho
Director of Discoveries
[rsancho[at]uc.pt](mailto:rsancho[at]uc.pt)
Maria João Freitas
Director of Communications
[mjfreitas[at]uc.pt](mailto:mjfreitas[at]uc.pt)
Luís Simões
IT Manager
[luis.m.simoes[at]uc.pt](mailto:luis.m.simoes[at]uc.pt)
Sandra Pimenta
Secretary
[sandra.p.oliveira[at]uc.pt](mailto:sandra.p.oliveira[at]uc.pt)
Vera Silva
Secretary
[vera.silva[at]uc.pt](mailto:vera.silva[at]uc.pt)
Joana Kim
[joana.kim[at]uc.pt](mailto:joana.kim[at]uc.pt)
Sara Lopes
Laboratory Technician
[slopes[at]uc.pt](mailto:slopes[at]uc.pt)
### Advocacy Committee
MIA-Portugal Advocacy Committee is a board of advisors emerging from the Civil Society, including distinguished Citizens (including Senior Citizens) and representatives from Patient Association Organizations and Industry. Main functions: to foster opportunities for funding, new partnerships and endeavours; to potentiate the societal impact of the project; to exploit partnerships with wealthy private foundations. The activities of the AC will be paramount to the attraction of external funds.
Ana Abrunhosa
Former President of Centro Region of Portugal Minister of Cohesion, Portugal
Artur Santos Silva
Curator of La Caixa Foundation and Honorary Chairman of BPI UC Alumnus, Portugal
David Sinclair
Co-Director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging at Harvard Medical School, USA
Maria de Belém Roseira
Former Minister of Health Deputy of Portuguese Parliament of Portugal UC Alumnus
Remy Quirion
Chief Scientist of Quebec at the Ministére de l’ Économie de la Science et de l’Innovation, Canada
Isabel Saraiva
President of Respira - Portuguese Association of People with COPD and other Chronic Respiratory Diseases, Chair of ELF - European Lung Foundation, Portugal
Luís Portela
Chairman of BIAL Professor Honoris Causa, University of Coimbra, Portugal
### Ethics Advisory Board
Closely follows and monitors all activities of MIA-Portugal to scrutinize and advise on all aspects where ethical questions may arise.
André Dias Pereira
Director of Center for Biomedical Law, Faculty of Law University of Coimbra
Duarte Nuno Vieira
Director of Center for Biomedical Law, Faculty of Law University of Coimbra
Francisco Ambrósio
Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra
Joaquim Murta
Faculty of Medicine University of Coimbra
### International Advisory Board
Responsible to advise the Installation Committee on the key decisions of the implementation of MIA-Portugal, continuously providing strategic scientific advice, unbiased external opinion, and support with a role of Ambassador.
Björn Schumacher
Executive Board of Cluster of Excellence Cluster in Ageing (CECAD) University of Cologne President of the German Society for Ageing Research DGfA, Germany
Carol Barnes
Evelyn F. McKnight Chair for Learning and Memory in Aging University of Arizona, Tucson, USA
Felipe Sierra
Director of the Division of Aging Biology National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, USA
Folkert Kuipers
Former Dean, Professor of Pediatrics and chair holder Healthy Life Alliance Named Professorship at University of Groningen University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
James Kirkland
Director of Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA
João Passos
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA
Lene Rasmussen
Director of Centre for Healthy Ageing University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Marian Joëls
Dean of Medical Sciences University Medical Center Groningen , Groningen, The Netherlands
Thomas von Zglinicki
Scientific Director of Newcastle University Institute of Ageing Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
### Founding Partners
MIA-Portugal teaming was established through the collaboration of the following founding partners
[Comissão de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional do Centro](https://www.ccdrc.pt/en/)
[European Comission](https://commission.europa.eu/index_en)
[Instituto Pedro Nunes](https://www.ipn.pt/)
[Newcastle University](https://www.ncl.ac.uk/)
[Universidade de Coimbra](https://www.uc.pt/en/)
[University Medical Center Groningen](https://www.umcg.nl/)
### Partners
[Biocant Park](https://www.biocant.pt/)
[Mayo Clinic](https://www.mayoclinic.org/)
[University of Copenhagen](https://www.ku.dk/en)
### Funding
[ANI- Agência Nacional de Inovação](https://ani.pt/en/)
[Comissão de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional do Centro](https://www.ccdrc.pt/en/)
[Company of Biologists](http://biologists.com/)
[EMBO - European Molecular Biology Organization](https://www.embo.org/)
[European Comission](https://commission.europa.eu/index_en)
[FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology](https://www.fct.pt/en/)
[FEBS - Federation of European Biochemical Societies](https://www.febs.org/)
[FLAD- Fundação Luso-Americana para o Desenvolvimento](https://www.flad.pt/en)
[Fundação Santander](https://www.fundacaosantanderportugal.pt/)
[Fundación La Caixa](https://fundacionlacaixa.org/es/)
[MC](https://www.fct.pt/21-a-edicao-das-medalhas-de-honra-loreal-portugal-para-as-mulheres-na-ciencia/)
[Medalhas de Honra L’Oréal Portugal para as Mulheres na Ciência](https://www.fct.pt/21-a-edicao-das-medalhas-de-honra-loreal-portugal-para-as-mulheres-na-ciencia/)
[PRR - Plano de Recuperação e Resilência](https://recuperarportugal.gov.pt/)
[República Portuguesa](https://www.portugal.gov.pt/pt/gc23)
[Sociedade Portuguesa de Diabetologia](https://www.spd.pt/#/)
[University of Coimbra](http://www.uc.pt)