The Department of Life and Environmental Sciences (DiSVA) at UNIVPM was established in 2011 by merging a number of groups involved in a wide spectrum of fundamental and applied research topics in Biology and in Environmental Sciences. At present, the Department includes more than 55 permanent scientists and current research interests span many areas such as analytical, environmental and organic chemistry, structural biophysics, bioinformatics, cellular and molecular biology, biochemistry and genetics, microbiology, biotechnology, fungal, algal, plant and animal systematics, reproductive and developmental biology, marine biology and ecology, eco-toxicology, aquaculture and animal welfare, earth sciences, risk assessment, waste recover and emerging pollutants, disaster prevention. In the last five years, scientists at DiSVA published more than 150 papers per year, on average cited more than 2500 times per year (Scopus). These scientists directly collaborate with numerous research centers and Large Scale facilities worldwide coordinating and carrying out several national and international research projects. DISVA participates in the National Antarctic Research Program and is involved in international expeditions to the Arctic and the world’s oceans. DiSVA has been selected as Department of Excellence by MIUR (the National Ministry of Education, University and Research), ranking 2nd out of 13 admitted in the area 05 (biological sciences), with an allocation of around 7 Million Euro starting from 2018 to 2022. The extensive new shared instrument facilities that have recently been added, and which include new research laboratories for high-throughput protein production, advanced microscopy and imaging, mass spectrometry and fluorescence cell sorting as well as a new aquarium of more than 200 tanks (for a total water volume of over 25000 L) for housing and care of marine and fresh water plants or animals, provide researchers and students with unusual access to contemporary research equipment. DiSVA will have an active role in several of the research actions funded within the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).