FUNDACIO PRIVADA INSTITUT CATALA DE PALEOECOLOGIA HUMANA I EVOLUCIO SOCIAL

Their core work

IPHES-CERCA is a Catalan research centre specializing in human paleoecology and evolution, studying how prehistoric humans — including Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens — adapted to their environments across hundreds of thousands of years. Their work spans physical anthropology, zooarchaeology, archaeobotany, and digital reconstruction of anatomical structures, combining field archaeology with computational modelling and biomechanical simulation. They produce knowledge about ancient human diet, tool use, climate adaptation, and population dynamics, primarily across the Iberian Peninsula and broader Mediterranean region. The institute also runs a structured postdoctoral training programme to develop the next generation of prehistory researchers.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their earlier H2020 period (2015–2018), IPHES focused on broad prehistoric population dynamics — Late Palaeolithic and Mesolithic range expansions, computational modelling of population networks, and coastal resource exploitation across the Mediterranean. From 2021 onward, the centre shifted toward more granular, method-driven research: Neanderthal anatomy and cold adaptation using digital reconstruction, tooth wear as a proxy for habitat change, and archaeobotanical analysis of underground storage organs. This evolution shows a move from large-scale population questions to detailed biomechanical and material-science approaches applied to specific human evolution problems.

IPHES is increasingly integrating digital and experimental laboratory methods (3D reconstruction, biomechanics, starch analysis) into traditional archaeological research, positioning itself at the intersection of prehistory and applied science.

How they like to work

IPHES overwhelmingly leads its own projects — 8 of 9 H2020 grants were as coordinator, almost all individual Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowships hosted at the institute. This indicates a centre that attracts external researchers to work within its facilities rather than joining large multi-partner consortia. With only 1 unique consortium partner recorded and collaboration limited to 1 country, their H2020 network footprint is narrow, though their MSCA-COFUND programme (R2STAIR) is designed to broaden international connections through incoming postdoctoral fellows.

IPHES has a remarkably self-contained H2020 profile: nearly all grants are individual fellowships hosted at the centre, resulting in only 1 recorded consortium partner across 1 country. Their R2STAIR COFUND programme may expand this network by bringing in postdocs from multiple countries.

What sets them apart

IPHES is one of very few European research centres dedicated entirely to human paleoecology and social evolution, combining archaeology, biological anthropology, and computational methods under one roof in Tarragona. Their ability to host and supervise MSCA fellows consistently (7 individual fellowships plus a COFUND) signals a mature, well-structured research environment that funders trust. For consortium builders, they offer deep domain expertise in human evolution with growing capacity in digital methods — a rare combination outside major university departments.

Highlights from their portfolio

• N-SPIRE
  Combines Neanderthal anatomy with biomechanical simulation and digital reconstruction — an unusually interdisciplinary approach bridging archaeology with medical engineering.
• R2STAIR
  Their largest coordinated grant (EUR 588K, MSCA-COFUND), a postdoctoral fellowship programme that signals institutional maturity and capacity to train researchers at scale.
• PALEODEM
  Their only participant role and highest-funded project (EUR 835K ERC Consolidator Grant), studying population dynamics across 7,000 years of Iberian prehistory using computational modelling.