Welcome to our department!
The Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (DSF) is one of the seven departments that constitute the Università del Piemonte Orientale, officially founded in 1998 but active since the early 1990s.
The department is located in Novara, in an area of the city which is enjoying a strong drive in the development of innovative start-up companies in the chemical, industrial and pharmaceutical sectors, thanks to business incubators and financing entities that support research and innovation. The DSF is therefore at the heart of a network of high-value partnerships and synergies that open up stimulating and beneficial prospects regarding the world of work.
Teaching and research activity are carried out in two locations (largo Donegani 2/3 and via Bovio 6), both easily reached by public transport and with ample parking in the vicinity.
The DSF is ranked among the top university departments nationwide for its teaching and research quality. This is thanks to the quality of its laboratories, well-equipped premises and excellent student/teacher ratio.
At DSF you can be be the protagonist in your own education, with the guidance of teachers and assistance of technical-administrative staff. We offer you a multidisciplinary environment where we are constantly comparing ideas with our counterparts in chemistry, medicine and biology; in return, we ask for enthusiasm and motivation.
The levels of excellence achieved in the field of scientific research, as proven by national surveys, are the result of an international atmosphere that puts many of our teachers at the cutting edge in their fields of research.
You can choose from a number of Degree courses including Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Pharmacy and Chemistry, and Pharmaceutical Technology.
There are also a number of post-graduate courses on offer.
Visit the University Studies section for all the latest news on our courses.
Key features
We aim to offer a high-level range of courses with a student-friendly atmosphere.
- you will feel comfortable: one of the advantages of small universities is the excellent relationship between students, teachers and administrative staff. The ease in establishing and maintaining relationships is reflected in the trust and close collaboration that grows between students and tutors, who will follow you during your studies and help you in your decision-making.
- you will be offered a wide range of educational choices: teachers and researchers have a wealth of experience that comprises the entire pharmaceutical chain.
- you will have the opportunity to enjoy an experience abroad: DSF promotes international mobility thanks to EU and non-EU partnerships, for academic, cultural and educational exchanges.
- you will enjoy greater employment opportunities
Excellence
Our Department boasts a group of teachers and research team who are at the cutting edge in their own specific fields of research, including:
- cellular and molecular pharmacology
- medicinal chemistry and organic chemistry
- immunology and pharmacogenomics
- biomedical, pharmaceutical and food nanobiotechnology
- structural biochemistry
- health economics and pharmacoeconomics
The expertise gathered in the pharmaceutical and chemical-nutritional fields, and their connection with health topics provide fertile ground for interaction between public and private entities, with investments that promote the emergence of new businesses in the region.
Statistics
These are some of the statistics that make our Department an esteemed and student-friendly higher education facility.
- Approx. 10,000 sq.m. of premises to house courses, research, study areas and administrative offices
- over 1,000 enrolled students
- 42 teachers and researchers
- 23 research laboratories
- 8 teaching laboratories
- 2 Single-cycle Master’s Degree courses
- 1 interdepartmental 3-year Bachelor’s degree course in Biotechnology
- 1 Advanced Training course (postgrad, II level)
- 1 research PhD
- 1 School of Specialisation
- 12 multimedia teaching classrooms
- And also: numerous research projects, international partnerships, Erasmus agreements across all of Europe.
A brief look at our history
The DSF was inaugurated in 2011, following the Gelmini Education Reform Act, as an evolutionary progression of the Department of Chemical, Food, Pharmaceutical and Pharmalogical Sciences, and the Faculty of Pharmacy.
It is housed in two buildings in an industrial area of the city which is discovering its commitment to the development of innovative companies, the result of cooperation of human and financial resources between public and private entities.
The teaching and research activity, and the administrative offices, are housed in the historic former ‘Wild’ cotton factory – completely renovated – which was for years an important manufacturing plant and a key source of employment for the city before being generally abandoned due to a decline in the industry.
The regeneration plan for the "Wild Area", as part of the "Urban Redevelopment Programme for the district of S. Agabio", allocated the premises to the University. The impressive renovation project was funded by large-scale investments that allowed the creation of the current spaces that are used for teaching, biotechnology research and offices.
Most of the laboratories for scientific experimentation are located in a modern building designed by architect Renzo Piano, situated just a few dozen metres away from the main campus. The building was commissioned by the company Alumix, market leader in the Italian aluminium industry which transferred here in 1987 its Research Centre: Light Metals Experimental Institute. The building, designed with cutting edge technology, today holds the Novara Development Foundation and hosts the Technological-Scientific Hub of Novara, where private and public research centres operate.