The University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) is a young university created in 1989. At present time it has 14 University Research Institutes, 3 Research Centres and 164 Research Groups covering many fields of knowledge, it is made up of nearly 1500 professors, about 1000 PhD students and 22000 undergraduate students.
The Research Institute on Sustainable Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems (ECOAQUA) it is mainly dedicated to Marine Research inside the structure of the ULPGC, ECOAQUA is composed by 4 Research Groups with more than 70 researchers and its main location is the Marine Scientific and Technological Park of the ULPGC at Taliarte, Gran Canaria Island. ECOAQUA has different types of laboratories (biochemistry, genetic, biodiversity, etc.) and important Aquaculture and Mesocosmos Facilities, where species of different phyla could be reared, maintained and studied (phytoplankton, zooplankton, seaweeds, crustacean, cephalopods, variety of fishes, and marine turtles). Infrastructures for recovery of marine turtles, birds and mammals stranded in Gran Canaria (and other islands) are also part of the ECOAQUA.
The Research Group in Biodiversity and Conservation (BIOCON) concentrates its studies on marine species and habitats present in the Macaronesian archipelagos and nearby geographical coastal regions. The team involved is coordinated by Prof. Dr. Ricardo J. Haroun Tabraue, head of the Research Group, Marine Biologist and expert in Systematics, Conservation and Sustainable uses of marine biota. Main tasks inside INDICIT project will be under the responsibility of Dr. Ana Liria Loza, Doctor in Marine Science and specialized in marine turtle biology and conservation for more than 15 years, with the support of Dr. Daniel Montero Vítores, expert in Animal Welfare, Stress and Aquaculture; and Patricia Ostiategui Francia, PhD student on “Marine litter interaction with sea turtles in the Canary Islands”.
The Fundación Canaria Parque Científico Tecnológico (FCPCT) is a public entity legally and functionally linked to the ULPGC, created in 2008 to boost the Technology Transfer from Academia to Industry. Inside the FCPCT, the Office of European Projects is dedicated to supporting researchers when submitting, negotiating and managing European projects of the ULPGC / FCPCT staff. Javier Rodríguez is R&D project manager with extensive experience managing R&D projects since 2007; and Almudena Suárez is also R&D project manager with extensive experience managing R&D projects since 2010.