UNIVERSIDADE DE LISBOA

Their core work

Universidade de Lisboa specializes in bridging science and society through public engagement, citizen science, and science communication programs across Portugal and Europe. They run initiatives that bring research into everyday life — from urban communities to natural heritage sites — making complex scientific topics accessible to young people and the public. They also participate in building research infrastructure for regenerative and precision medicine through The Discoveries Centre, and contribute to pan-European university alliance networks like UNITE!.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In 2014-2018, ULisboa focused heavily on citizen science, science communication, and building capacity for regenerative medicine research infrastructure (The Discoveries Centre). Their early projects also explored health tourism and assisted living technologies. From 2019 onward, the focus shifted toward environmental themes — global changes, natural heritage, sustainability, and climate — while maintaining the science-society bridge. They also moved into European university alliance building and large-scale research infrastructure (DiSSCo), signaling a more strategic, institution-level engagement with EU research policy.

ULisboa is pivoting from general science communication toward climate and environmental engagement, positioning itself as a connector between natural science research and public awareness of global changes.

How they like to work

ULisboa is an active leader — coordinating 6 of 13 projects, mostly smaller-scale Coordination and Support Actions where they drive the agenda. With 92 unique partners across 23 countries, they operate as a broad European hub rather than relying on a tight circle of repeat collaborators. This makes them a strong choice for consortium building when you need a partner experienced in managing diverse, multi-country networks with a focus on outreach and dissemination.

Extensive European network spanning 92 unique partners across 23 countries, built through a mix of coordinated and participatory roles. Their reach covers most of the EU, with no heavy concentration in a single region.

What sets them apart

ULisboa stands out for its deep expertise in translating research into public engagement — not as a dissemination add-on, but as a core competency. While many universities participate in outreach as a project obligation, ULisboa actively coordinates science-society projects as their main H2020 activity. This makes them an ideal partner when a consortium needs genuine public engagement, citizen science design, or science communication strategy rather than token outreach checkboxes.

Highlights from their portfolio

• THE DISCOVERIES CTR
  Largest single funding (EUR 1M) for implementing a Centre of Excellence in regenerative and precision medicine — a long-term institutional investment running through 2024.
• SCICITY
  Coordinated project combining cultural heritage preservation with science engagement for urban youth — an unusual intersection of heritage, education, and global change awareness.
• DiSSCo Prepare
  Participation in the preparatory phase of a major European research infrastructure for natural science collections — signals institutional ambition in large-scale data infrastructure.