CENTRO NACIONAL DE INVESTIGACION SOBRE LA EVOLUCION HUMANA

Their core work

CENIEH is Spain's national research centre for human evolution, based in Burgos — a city globally recognized for its proximity to the Atapuerca archaeological sites. They specialize in studying deep human history through archaeological science, combining fieldwork with advanced laboratory techniques like mass spectrometry and palaeoproteomics. Their work spans from understanding how ancient proteins degrade over millennia to reconstructing funerary practices and site formation processes across the European Palaeolithic. They also contribute to pan-European research infrastructures that make archaeological datasets and heritage science facilities accessible across borders.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

CENIEH's early H2020 involvement (2014–2017) was lighter — public engagement through European Researchers' Night and joining the preparatory phase of the heritage science infrastructure E-RIHS. From 2019 onward, a clear shift occurred toward hard science: palaeoproteomics, mass spectrometry of ancient proteins, and deep taphonomic research on Palaeolithic burial sites. The jump is dramatic — from science communication to leading a EUR 1.5M ERC Starting Grant on the evolution of death culture, signalling a centre that has matured from infrastructure participant to independent research leader.

CENIEH is moving from supporting roles in infrastructure consortia toward leading original research in biomolecular archaeology and deep-time human behavior, making them an increasingly independent scientific voice in European prehistory research.

How they like to work

CENIEH operates primarily as a participant in large European consortia — 4 of 6 projects are in the partner role, typically within networks of 20+ institutions. Their single coordinator role (DEATHREVOL) is an ERC Starting Grant, which signals individual researcher excellence rather than institutional consortium-building capacity. With 121 unique partners across 31 countries, they are well-connected but function more as a valued specialist node in large networks than as a consortium architect.

CENIEH has collaborated with 121 unique partners across 31 countries, reflecting deep integration into the European heritage science and archaeology community. Their network is notably broad for a centre of this size, built through participation in large pan-European infrastructure projects like ARIADNEplus and E-RIHS.

What sets them apart

CENIEH sits at the intersection of archaeological fieldwork and advanced biomolecular analysis — a combination few European centres can match. Their location in Burgos, near the Atapuerca World Heritage sites, gives them unrivalled access to some of the most important Palaeolithic deposits in the world. For anyone building a consortium around human evolution, ancient biomolecules, or heritage science infrastructure, CENIEH brings both the lab capabilities (mass spectrometry, proteomics) and the field context that grounds the science in real archaeological questions.

Highlights from their portfolio

• DEATHREVOL
  Their only coordinator role and largest project (EUR 1.49M ERC Starting Grant), investigating the deep roots of funerary culture across the European Palaeolithic — a topic that bridges hard science with profound questions about human behavior.
• PUSHH
  Represents CENIEH's entry into palaeoproteomics, applying mass spectrometry to ancient dental enamel and protein-based binders — a rapidly growing field that is transforming what we can learn from degraded biological remains.
• ARIADNEplus
  Part of Europe's flagship archaeological data infrastructure, positioning CENIEH as a contributor to open, networked access to archaeological datasets across the continent.