The University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), founded in 1495, is one of the oldest universities in Spain and Europe. USC is situated among the top 10 Spanish universities in regard to their positioning in the different international (ARWU, QS, SIR, Reuters, Nature Index, Webometrics) and national (U-ranking) university rankings. With two campuses (Santiago and Lugo), USC is a major educational and research hub in northern Spain, deeply connected to the cultural and intellectual traditions of the region. offering a total of 66 bachelor’s degrees, 81 master’s degrees and 57 doctoral programs having the infrastructure facilities and human resources needed for the training of young researchers. Campus Terra is the Lugo campus of the USC, focusing on education and research related to agriculture, environmental sciences, veterinary medicine, forestry, and sustainable development. It is dedicated to promoting innovation in sectors like food production, rural development, and natural resource management. As a specialized hub, Campus Terra emphasizes sustainable practices, contributing to the environmental and agricultural advancement of Galicia and beyond. The campus fosters collaboration between academia, industry, and the local community, playing a vital role in the region’s economic and ecological sustainability.

Research at Campus Terra, the Lugo campus of the University of Santiago de Compostela, focuses primarily on areas related to sustainable development, agriculture, veterinary medicine, forestry, and environmental sciences. Key research areas include food production, animal health and welfare, rural development, biodiversity, climate change, and natural resource management. The campus is home to advanced research facilities and collaborates with national and international institutions, as well as industries, to drive innovation in agriculture, forestry, and environmental conservation. Campus Terra’s research aims to address global challenges, particularly those concerning sustainability, ecosystem preservation, and the future of rural and agrarian sectors.

Role in the project:

The USC is actively contributing to two of the pilots for food safety. Specifically, the USC participates on a pilot related to traceability and authenticity in the olive supply chain, bringing their expertise on DNA based methods for the identification of olive varieties. The USC participates as well on the pilot focused on the food safety testing the presence of undeclared food allergens, by developing isothermal DNA amplification methods for the detection of traces of allergenic food ingredients in food processing plants.

In collaboration with INL, USC will integrate the developed DNA based methods onto miniaturized devices to enable analysis in decentralized settings.