CENTRO EM REDE DE INVESTIGACAO EM ANTROPOLOGIA

Their core work

CRIA is a Portuguese anthropology research centre focused on understanding social and political dynamics in underexplored regions, particularly the Western Sahara and Southeast Asia. They study informal labour markets, precariousness, and political activism through ethnographic and case-study methods. More recently, they have expanded into citizen science and open science methodologies applied to social sciences, bridging academic research with community engagement on societal issues.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

CRIA's early H2020 work (2017) centred on political anthropology in the Western Sahara, a niche area where they secured substantial ERC Starting Grant funding as coordinator. From 2021 onward, their focus shifted toward participatory and open science methods applied to societal challenges, alongside informal labour research in Southeast Asia. The move from region-specific political studies to broader methodological contributions (citizen science, SDGs) suggests a deliberate broadening of their research scope.

CRIA is moving from deep regional political studies toward globally relevant themes — participatory research methods, SDG-aligned labour research, and open science — making them increasingly relevant for interdisciplinary EU consortia.

How they like to work

CRIA operates as both a leader and a participant: they coordinated their largest project (CAPSAHARA, an ERC grant) and joined two others as partner. With 31 unique partners across 20 countries from just 3 projects, they work in broad, internationally diverse consortia rather than tight repeat-partner clusters. This suggests openness to new collaborations and comfort working across cultural and institutional boundaries.

Despite only 3 projects, CRIA has built a notably wide network of 31 partners across 20 countries, reflecting the global nature of their anthropological research spanning Europe, Africa, and Asia.

What sets them apart

CRIA brings anthropological depth to EU research — a rare capability in a landscape dominated by STEM-oriented partners. Their ability to coordinate ERC-level research on politically sensitive regions (Western Sahara) demonstrates both academic rigour and field access that few European centres can match. For consortium builders, they offer genuine qualitative and ethnographic expertise that strengthens the societal impact dimension of any project.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CAPSAHARA
  ERC Starting Grant worth EUR 1.19M coordinated by CRIA — rare for an anthropology centre to lead such substantial funding on a politically sensitive topic.
• COESO
  Positioned CRIA at the intersection of citizen science and social sciences, signalling a strategic shift toward participatory research methodologies.