Throughout its 45 years of existence, UAc has established itself as one of the main pillars of the Azores autonomy and socio-economic development and as a place of excellence for teaching and research on the issues of the Sea, the Atlantic and the insular environments in its different dimensions. The role that UAc has played in the qualification of the Azoreans is reflected in the number of professionals formed by this institution, thus contributing to economic growth, social well-being and the affirmation of the Azorean culture.

Considering the specificities of the UAc’s Atlantic setting, the sea, including fisheries and aquaculture, as well as natural hazards, in particular in the fields of volcanology, seismology, meteorology and climate change, are differentiating and priority areas to the Academy in terms of teaching and research. But others also find an echo in this area, namely in terms of biodiversity, biotechnology and biomedicine, agriculture and livestock, geological and energy resources, economics and marketing, management, tourism, sociology and geography, pedagogy and psychology, linguistics and communication, history and archaeology, philosophy, political science and new technologies, particularly the information and communication technologies and materials technologies.