Historic

The Postgraduate Program in Phytosanitary and Applied Biotechnology (PFBA), headquartered in the Phytopathology area of the Institute of Biological Sciences and Health (formerly called the Institute of Biology), Seropédica campus of the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), was conceived from principles that consider the competence and training of the Faculty; the quality, creativity and interest of the students; the optimization and rationalization of material and human resources, gathered in good infrastructure conditions and within a policy of training highly qualified personnel, on a national and international scale.

In 2003, after the initiative of Professor Dr. Paulo S. T. Brioso (Process 23083.003193/2005-04), the PFBA was conceived, at the Master’s level, and approved by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), in the 89th. Meeting of the Scientific Technical Council (CTC), by means of the Ordinance nº 2000 of the MEC, of 12/20/2006, published in the DOU no. 244, of 12/21/2006, Section 1 (page 35), being part of the area of Agricultural Sciences.

In February 2008, the PFBA changed its evaluation area at CAPES, becoming part of the Biotechnology knowledge area belonging to the Multidisciplinary area, which was created that same year, through Ordinance No. 9 of CAPES, 01/23/2009, published in the DOU no. 18, 01/25/2008, Section 1 (page 35).

In July 2011, the PFBA changed its evaluation area at CAPES, becoming part of the knowledge area of Agricultural Sciences, through the letter CAA No. 172 – 05/2011/CAA I/CGAA/DAV/CAPES. It is the first post-graduation course at national level that aggregates the areas of Phytosanitary and Plant Biotechnology.

During the period, since its creation until today, new conceptions have emerged in the national and international scenario, both in terms of management aimed at quality, productivity, and environmental sustainability, and in terms of biotechnological innovation.

The PFBA in the way it was conceived and updated favors the formation of a Phytosanitary and Biotechnological Network both at the inter-institutional and regional level and at the level of Public and/or Private Companies aiming at mutual development, enabling the use of resources for research and transforming knowledge into technologies and products of ready application besides the formation of highly qualified professionals in the areas of concentration of the Program.

The program has as its objectives:

MISSION – Teaching, Research, Extension, Service Provision – Generation, Development, Innovation, Technological Assistance and Dissemination of Technical and Scientific Knowledge for Postgraduate Education in Agricultural Sciences and Agribusiness, for the benefit of Society.

VISION – To be recognized as a benchmark of excellence in Postgraduate Education in Agricultural Sciences and Agribusiness, for the technical-scientific production, quality of services, organizational values and benefits generated for Society.

VALUES AND POLICIES

Competence: To maintain the necessary competencies in the human talents, investing continuously in training and in the technical-scientific updating of their knowledge, in the familiarization of the quality documentation, and in the implementation of the policies and procedures of the work developed by everyone.

Commitment: To promote the commitment of everyone to the technical-scientific advancement of Graduate Studies in Agricultural Sciences and Agribusiness, through teamwork, participation in decisions, and development of the workforce allied to good professional practices and the quality of its activities at the level of Teaching, Research, Extension, and Service Provision in serving its Customers, Regulatory Bodies, and Society.

Confidentiality: To ensure the protection of its Clients’ confidential information and property rights.

Dynamism: To act with dynamism and proactivity in the generation of knowledge and technology as well as in obtaining the necessary resources for the development of the PFBA.

Ethics: To act in an ethical way, acting with impartiality and confidentiality, respecting the wishes of Individuals and Society and preserving the Environment.

Impartiality: To act impartially in its Teaching, Research, Extension and Service Rendering Activities, and not allow commercial, financial or other pressures to compromise its Impartiality, besides identifying, eliminating and/or minimizing, on a continuous basis, risks to its Impartiality.

Quality: To ensure that the activities of Teaching, Research, Extension, and Service Provision are conducted in accordance with the Quality System, defined by ABNT NBR ISO 21001:2020, satisfying the needs of the interested parties and continuously seeking to improve its performance, taking into account that all its activities are always carried out according to established methods and standards, and the requirements of Customers, Regulatory Bodies, and Society.

Reputation: To maintain the good reputation and image of excellence of the PFBA, seeking to act with professionalism and always offering the best solution for its Clients, regulatory authorities (UFRRJ, CAPES) and for Society.

The program has evolved since its creation to the present date, having an innovative and current proposal, because, it managed to integrate quality management, phytosanitary training with the generation of biotechnological products and processes, biotechnological innovation and quality service provision clearly evidencing the integration of Phytosanitary with Biotechnology and the Society in a context of Quality Management having as main goal the professional formation, that fills the gap constantly pointed out by various sectors of society (whether public or private), i.e. the lack of connection between research, market and society, since the professional trained has knowledge in the area of Phytosanitary, and the ability to generate biotechnological products or processes aimed at society, being better prepared to be used in public and private institutions.

The PFBA in its restructuring and evolution, meeting the objectives mentioned above, now has two (2) areas of concentration (https://cursos.ufrrj.br/posgraduacao/ppgfba/areas-de-concentracao/): Phytosanitary (which encompassed the areas previously called Applied Entomology and Applied Phytopathology) and Applied Biotechnology.

These areas have 6 (six) thematic research lines, 3 (three) in the area of concentration Phytosanitary and 3 (three) in the area of concentration of Applied Biotechnology.