O CERNAS – Centro de Recursos Naturais, Ambiente e Sociedade, é uma unidade de investigação reconhecida pela Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia. O nosso objectivo é produzir investigação nos domínios da Ciências Agrárias, Ciência e Engenharia Alimentar e Ambiente e Sociedade promovendo, assim, o desenvolvimento sustentável de base regional como parte de uma intervenção global.
For the 2015-2020 period, CERNAS established three research groups to concentrate the expertise. Forest, agriculture and livestock, will be addressed in the Agriculture Science Research Group. The questions related with the valorization of food products, the development of novel products and processes, by-product valorization and waste minimization and the studies of human nutrition will be addressed by the Food Science and Engineering Research Group. The questions of rural development, ecosystem conservation, environmental services, eco-efficiency tools and solutions and the judicious use of natural resources, including land use planning and the measurement of the societal response, will be addressed by the Environment and Society Research Group.