INSTITUTO DE CIENCIAS SOCIAIS

Their core work

ICS is the social sciences research institute of the University of Lisbon, specializing in historically grounded analysis of European societies — from colonial legacies and migration to contemporary challenges like vaccine hesitancy, climate perception, and water governance. They bring deep qualitative and cultural expertise to large EU consortia, typically handling the societal dimensions of technical projects: public engagement, behavioral analysis, science communication, and policy implications. Their strength lies in bridging historical understanding with present-day social challenges, making them a go-to partner when projects need to understand how people actually respond to technological or policy changes.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2015–2018), ICS focused heavily on colonial and imperial history (COLOUR, UNCERTAINPOWER, Mobilising Archives), care technologies for elderly populations (ALHTOUR), and cultural heritage in cities (ROCK). From 2019 onward, their portfolio shifted markedly toward contemporary societal challenges — vaccine hesitancy, climate action, circular economy, water governance, and the European Social Survey — while maintaining their historical research through projects like REGROWTH. This evolution shows a deliberate move from primarily retrospective scholarship toward applied social science that addresses urgent European policy questions.

ICS is increasingly positioning itself as the social science partner for environmental and health-related EU projects, bringing expertise on public trust, behavioral change, and citizen engagement to technical consortia.

How they like to work

ICS operates comfortably in both leadership and partner roles, coordinating 9 of 24 projects — most of these are ERC or MSCA grants where they are sole PI, reflecting individual research excellence. As a participant, they join larger RIA and IA consortia (10+ partners) where they contribute the societal, behavioral, or cultural analysis dimension. With 268 unique partners across 39 countries, they function as a hub rather than returning to the same collaborators, making them easy to integrate into new consortia.

ICS has collaborated with 268 unique partners across 39 countries, reflecting a genuinely pan-European and global network. Their Portuguese base connects them strongly to Southern European and Lusophone research communities, but their participation spans Northern, Western, and Eastern European institutions equally.

What sets them apart

ICS combines two things rarely found together: deep historical scholarship on empire, migration, and identity with applied social science on contemporary European challenges like vaccine hesitancy and water governance. This makes them uniquely valuable for projects that need to understand not just what people think today, but why — rooted in cultural and historical context. For consortium builders, they offer a credible, well-funded Portuguese institution (EUR 7.5M in H2020) that can handle both ERC-level independent research and collaborative work packages in large consortia.

Highlights from their portfolio

• COLOUR
  Largest single grant (EUR 2.16M ERC) — a major study on racialized labour migration across former Portuguese and other colonial territories, signaling top-tier research recognition.
• MAPLE
  Second-largest grant (EUR 1.59M ERC) — coordinated a multi-year study on how European political attitudes shifted before and after the Eurozone crisis.
• B-WaterSmart
  Their largest participatory project (EUR 472K) on water governance and circular economy — exemplifies their shift toward applied environmental social science.