The National Health Institute Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA) is a centennial institution, founded in 1899 by the doctor and humanist Ricardo Jorge (Porto, 1858 - Lisboa, 1939) as the laboratorial arm of the Portuguese health system.
Nowadays, INSA develops its activity as State laboratory of the health sector, national reference laboratory and national health observatory, with the mission to contribute to gains in public health, either on the laboratory dimension or through specialized health care.
INSA ensures its mission through research and technological development; epidemiological and health services research; external quality assurance for laboratories; diffusion of scientific culture; fostering capacities, knowledge and skills and by providing specialized services, including the prevention of genetic diseases.