ISPA CRL

Their core work

ISPA is a Portuguese higher education institution based in Lisbon specializing in psychology, behavioral sciences, and social research. Their H2020 portfolio spans social psychology (homelessness, social chemosignals, mental health), ecology and biodiversity conservation, and interdisciplinary work combining virtual reality with behavioral analysis. They bring expertise in understanding human behavior — from social marginalization to chemical communication — alongside ecological modeling of species responses to environmental change.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

ISPA's early H2020 work (2016–2018) centered on social innovation and biodiversity policy — addressing homelessness as a societal challenge and training researchers for environmental governance. Their later projects (2019–2024) shifted toward more technical and experimental approaches: body odour chemosignals studied via VR and wearable sensors, and mechanistic ecological modeling of fish larvae under climate change. The trend shows a move from policy-oriented social science toward lab-based, technology-enhanced behavioral and ecological research.

ISPA is moving toward technology-integrated behavioral research (VR, biosensors, wearables) and mechanistic ecological forecasting, making them increasingly relevant for interdisciplinary projects that bridge psychology, technology, and environmental science.

How they like to work

ISPA operates with a balanced profile — coordinating half their projects and participating in the other half, suggesting comfort in both leadership and partnership roles. With 32 unique partners across 14 countries from just 4 projects, they engage in mid-to-large consortia and maintain a broad international network rather than relying on repeat collaborators. This makes them an adaptable partner capable of integrating into diverse teams.

ISPA has built a network of 32 partners across 14 countries through just 4 projects, indicating participation in well-connected European consortia. Their reach is pan-European with no obvious geographic concentration.

What sets them apart

ISPA's distinctive strength lies in combining psychology and behavioral science with both social policy research and ecological modeling — an unusual dual expertise rarely found in a single institution. Their POTION project demonstrates a capacity to integrate chemical analysis, VR, and bio-signal processing into behavioral research, positioning them at the intersection of psychology and technology. For consortium builders, ISPA offers a credible social/behavioral science partner that can also contribute ecological expertise — useful for interdisciplinary calls requiring human dimensions alongside environmental research.

Highlights from their portfolio

• POTION
  Largest project (EUR 788K) combining an unusual mix of social chemosignals, virtual reality, wearable biosensors, and mental health research — highly interdisciplinary.
• HOME_EU
  Coordinated by ISPA, this project addressed homelessness through a social innovation lens, demonstrating their capacity to lead socially impactful research.
• FUTURELARVAE
  MSCA Individual Fellowship coordinated by ISPA, integrating eco-physiology with species distribution models to forecast climate change effects on marine larvae.