What’s IBBR?

The Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources (IBBR) comes from the recent reorganization and optimization of research centers by the Italian National Council of Research (CNR). IBBR was recently founded (Nov 2013) by merging the former IGV (Plant Genetics Institute) with part of the activities carried out at IGB (Institute of Genetics and Biophysics) and IBP (Institute of Protein Biochemistry). The headquarters is located in Bari (Apulia, Italy) and has five divisions spread over the national territory (Florence, Naples, Palermo, Perugia, and Portici). The current director is Dr. Raffaella Maria Balestrini.

Research activities of the IBBR aim to enhance basic knowledge in biology. Its main scientific commitment is to investigate agro-food production’s molecular and genetic basis, focusing on the sustainable management of bioresources in the biomedical, biochemical, and environmental fields. These topics are the basics of European agricultural policy, the National Research Plan, and the R&D framework programmes of the EU, particularly for the VIII framework programme "Horizon 2020".

The IBBR acts accordingly to the needs of a strategic sector of the Italian research and economy such as agriculture, in collaboration with several University departments, experiment Institutes (e.g., MiPAF, ENEA) and local administrations. People at the IBBR have long experience in germplasm collection and management, and in the study and appraisal of the genetic variability of herbaceous, fruit, and forest species.