The Social Observatory of ”la Caixa” Foundation launches an open and competitive call to fund excellent, innovative and socially-oriented research projects. Proposals must generate new knowledge to broaden our understanding of the major challenges of today’s society, using quantitative methods.
Proposals will be submitted from 7 to 22 January 2026 and will be structured through a two-stage procedure.
Information session:
GOALS
This call will support excellent social research projects that rely on robust quantitative evidence and an original and innovative approach to provide robust information to better understand current and emerging social challenges.
Projects must be focused on Spain and/or Portugal.
GRANTS
Up to €115,000 per project and up to 24 months duration
WHO CAN APPLY?
The call is open to researchers who hold a PhD awarded more than 2 years before the call deadline as written in the Rules for participation (i.e. before 22nd January 2024).
The call is aimed at supporting proposals led by individual researchers of any nationality who conduct their research activity at a non-profit organization: public or private university or research centre legally based in Spain or Portugal.
CALENDAR
Phase 1 - Application period (short proposals)
Opening of the submission period for short proposals: 7th January 2026
Submission deadline: 22nd January 2026, at 2 pm CET
Evaluation of short proposals: February - March 2026
Phase 2 - Pre-selected proposals (full proposals)
Opening of submission period for full proposals: March 2026
Submission deadline: 23rd April 2026, at 13:00 CET
Evaluation phase 2.1: May 2026
Evaluation phase 2.2 (interviews): 17th-18th June 2026
Announcement of funded projects: July 2026
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
The submission of proposals is structured incrementally through a two-phase procedure. Applicants will first submit a 3-page short proposal describing the research idea and the social challenge(s) addressed, taking into consideration its novel and innovative aspects.
Applicants with successful short proposals will be invited to submit a full proposal of up to 15 pages providing detailed information on the project and the methodology. At this stage, applicants will also be required to submit a brief document regarding their research expertise and social and public sector expertise (1 page each).
Both proposals and the documents required must be submitted in English. All information regarding this programme will be exclusively available in English.
CONTACT
For any questions or queries please send an email to: [email protected]
Connect Call: from research to the social sector – 1st edition
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The Conecta Call focuses on research conducted by mixed teams. The aim is to promote collaboration between universities and tertiary sector organisations or public administration bodies.
WHAT WE SEEK
The call is aimed at universities, research centres and organisations in the social sector or public administration in Portugal.
These organisations must form a consortium to promote a research project with a common goal.
The proposals submitted must study a topic of social impact in Portugal from the social sciences.
The projects funded will last for 24 months.
WE ARE OFFERING
The call is divided into two categories:
Diagnosis of social needs. Each project selected in this category will receive funding of up to €50,000 (including taxes, indirect costs and fees).
Evaluation of social interventions. Each project selected in this category will receive funding of up to €100,000 (including taxes, indirect costs and fees).
WHO CAN APPLY
Teams must be composed of at least one organisation from each of the tertiary sector. They may consist of a maximum of four organisations.
Research field:
Universities
Organisations linked to a university
Organisations registered as research centres in a public register
Organizations that include research in their statutes
Practice field:
tertiary Social Sector organizations, including second-level or higher organisations.
Public administrations or other local, supra-municipal, regional or state public organisations.
CALENDAR
Information session:
Submission of applications: from 17 February to 30 April 2026 at 2:00 p.m. (mainland Portuguese time).
Resolution of the call: October 2026.
CONTACT
If you have any questions about the call, you can contact the Social Observatory of the ”la Caixa” Foundation: [email protected]
Proposals must be submitted through the online platform designed for this purpose: ''la Caixa'' Foundation's Grants online system. Applications received via other channels will not be accepted.
calls
Management training as a strategy for social mobility and inclusion
Project selected in the call Social Research Call 2021
This article is an experimental evaluation of the impact of training Portuguese entrepreneurs in the skills, management practices and performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It is part of a longitudinal study conducted in collaboration with the Nova School of Business and Economics (Executive Education) in which SME managers were randomly offered to participate in a business management course¹. More than 1,600 people applied for a limited number of places. A total of 342 of the 604 study participants were randomly assigned to the treatment group and 262 to the control group. The chosen 342 were randomly divided into three different courses: (1) Finance, Accounting and Operations Management (117 participants); (2) Leadership and People Management (111 participants); and (3) Strategy, Marketing and Internationalisation (115 participants). In order to evaluate the impact of the training, an analysis was conducted of study data collected between December 2022 and April 2024 that consisted of the biannual responses of managers to an online survey (treatment group, which received the course, and control group, which did not), in addition to financial statements of companies obtained from ‘Simplified Business Information’. The survey included a number of questions designed to measure outcomes at various levels: acquisition of management skills, company performance, management practices, soft skills and aspirations. .
¹Upon payment of a €100 registration fee, a reduced amount compared to the market value of around €5,000 for the training received.
Key points
1
Managers who participated in the training programme saw an increase on average in their personal net income and also in their company’s turnover and workforce in the year immediately following the programme. These effects were strongest in the Finance, Accounting and Operations Management group.
2
Significant positive results were observed in the acquisition of skills by the training participants.
3
The training programme has had a positive impact on the management practices of participating companies. The aspirations of managers have also improved on average as a result of the programme. These effects were strongest in the Finance, Accounting and Operations Management and Leadership and People Management groups.
The question of ‘what drives success in business’ is still an essentially open question in the literature on entrepreneurship and innovation. It is thought that many resources contribute to entrepreneurial success, including technical knowledge, entrepreneurial acumen, professional and business networks, and market conditions. In fact, it is not yet clear that there is a causal relationship between entrepreneurial acumen and company success. Many of the emerging models of business education, especially entrepreneurship and business management courses, are based on the belief that providing entrepreneurs with business knowledge and management tools can give them ‘added value’ by increasing the likelihood of business success and positive business outcomes (in terms of sales, profits or number of employees).
The literature on business education and training indicates heterogeneous and often modest effects on business performance. McKenzie and Woodruff (2023) emphasise that interventions in microenterprises, which predominate in developing countries, tend to show limited improvements in profits or sales, although there is a slight improvement in management practices and the aspirations of managers. Approaches such as self-starter training have been shown to be effective for entrepreneurs in subsistence contexts (Campos et al., 2017), while programmes such as the Kaizen model are more promising in slightly more advanced small industries (Higuchi et al., 2015). Not surprisingly, this evidence highlights the need for training programmes that are tailored to the specific characteristics of companies and their contexts.
The context of the study differs from much of this literature. The participating companies were on average larger than the microenterprises described in McKenzie and Woodruff (2023), given that they employ multiple workers and operate in a more formal manner. Furthermore, the study was conducted in Portugal, a high-income country where market conditions and barriers to business growth are very different from those in emerging markets.
By focusing on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and using a randomised control trial (RCT) methodology, the research aims to contribute to the literature by rigorously evaluating the effectiveness of a management training programme. The goal of which is to provide entrepreneurs with management tools and soft skills. In particular, an attempt will be made to identify the main barriers to the growth of SMEs in the Portuguese context, whether these are internal (related to logistical or financial organisation issues), external (related to marketing and internationalisation issues), or related to leadership (leadership skills, people management, and expectations and aspirations of the business leader).
1. Company results
Managers who participated in the training programme saw an increase on average in their personal net income and also in their company’s turnover and workforce in the year immediately following the programme.
A significant increase in the number of employees was observed in 2023, as reported by administrative data (obtained from SABI). This growth caused by the programme was statistically significant in SMEs that participated in the training programme in general and was particularly important in SMEs that were part of the Strategy, Marketing and Internationalisation group.
This increase can also be seen in the survey data, which, although noisier, indicate an increase in the number of employees in all training groups.
Although growth in turnover, added value and assets is still observed on average, the small sample size does not yet allow us to confirm with statistical certainty that the programme had a positive impact on these variables.
The survey data showed that the training programme led to an overall increase in the net personal income of the managers who participated. This effect was statistically significant for managers who took the Finance, Accounting and Operations Management, and Leadership and People Management courses, although it was not statistically significant for managers who took the Strategy, Marketing and Internationalisation training course.
On average, the training programme also led to statistically significant growth in the annual turnover of participating SMEs. This increase was particularly significant for SMEs in the Finance, Accounting and Operations Management group. It is too early to conclude that the programme had an impact on company turnover for the other groups.
2. Acquisition of knowledge
Significant positive results were observed in the acquisition of skills by the training participants.
A key point in consolidating the idea that training has a positive impact on SMEs is to understand whether there has actually been an acquisition of knowledge by managers as a result of their participation in the programme.
With this in mind, the surveys included a number of questions formulated by the trainers of each course that related to their contents in order to evaluate the acquisition of knowledge by the managers who participated in the programme. The aim was to understand whether those who attended a particular course had a higher level of knowledge on the topics covered.
All participants were specifically asked questions about the contents covered in each of the groups: Finance, Accounting and Operations Management; Leadership and People Management; and Strategy, Marketing and Internationalisation. The expectation was that managers who had participated in each of the training groups would be better able to answer questions related to the topic of their course.
For example, they were asked about the effects of an increase in the company’s working capital requirements. As expected, the results showed that the managers who attended the course where this topic was covered, who were part of the Finance, Accounting and Operations Management group, provided significantly more correct answers than the other managers (both those who made up the other groups and those who did not participate in the training).
Similarly, when they were asked about effective approaches to internal communication of significant or strategic changes, a topic covered in the Leadership and People Management group, the results showed that managers who had attended the training course were more likely to answer this question correctly (compared to those who had not). Managers in the Leadership and People Management group were also more likely to correctly answer the question about ‘what to do’ in a negotiation to maximise own profits.
Nonetheless, when examining the questions that the managers who attended the Strategy, Marketing and Internationalisation training course would theoretically be better qualified to answer in this area, it can be seen that there is still a lot of noise in these data. It cannot therefore be guaranteed that the acquisition of knowledge during the programme was as effective for this group as for the others.
3. Management practices and aspirations
The positive effects of the training programme on management practices were concentrated in the Finance, Accounting and Operations Management group. The aspirations of managers improved on average as a result of the programme.
One of the goals of this study is to understand whether the various components of business administration courses help to improve management practices and the aspirations of managers. In fact, these two indicators are among the most studied in the literature on education, human capital and management capacity. The follow-up surveys therefore included questions adapted from the scientific literature in this area to identify differences in management practices (Bloom and Van Reenen, 2007, 2010 and McKenzie, 2017), as well as questions on the aspirations of managers.
There is still a lot of noise in the effects of the programme on the aspects related to management practices, so it is too early to draw detailed conclusions. For now, it is possible to say with some precision that the programme has had a statistically significant impact on increasing the frequency with which SMEs participating in the Finance, Accounting and Operations Management course conduct formal performance appraisals of employees. On average, some evidence was found of a significant impact of the programme overall.
There also appears to be a positive impact on average of the programme on employee promotions: suggestive evidence exists that SMEs that received training in the Finance, Accounting and Operations Management group are more likely to base employee promotions on performance and skills than SMEs that did not receive the training.
The same seems to be true for the actions taken when a problem is detected in the production process (for example, defects in the product or service provided, quality problems or out-of-order machines) by the managers of the Finance, Accounting and Management course. However, given the size of the sample, the same positive effect cannot be found when looking at the other training courses, in which the effects of this aspect are not statistically significant.
In terms of the aspirations of managers, the results are generally relatively noisy and should be interpreted with some caution.
In any case, managers who participated in the training programme have higher aspirations for their personal income: on average, the participants in the programme would like to have a net personal income per month in 5 years that is 10% higher than that desired by those who did not participate in the programme. Similarly, participation in the training programme appears to have increased the salary expectations of the managers who participated. This increase in expectations is more pronounced for managers who took the Finance, Accounting and Operations Management, and Leadership and People Management courses, while the increase in aspirations is greater for managers who took the Leadership and People Management course.
In terms of desired turnover (aspirations) within 5 years, only managers who participated in the Finance, Accounting and Operations Management course showed an increase on average in desired turnover as a result of the training. Nonetheless, the hypothesis that the training had no effect on this aspect still cannot be rejected. Similarly, there seems to have been an increase in expectations of the company’s turnover within 5 years, although this increase is not statistically significant.
Conclusions
The aim of this study is to measure the impact of a business management training programme aimed at equipping SME owners/managers in Portugal with the hard and soft skills they need to grow their businesses. Its initial hypothesis is that a programme that can develop the skills of SME managers can make a difference and increase their growth and productivity.
The design of the study also seeks to understand which skills are most important for the development and growth of a business and its manager: Finance, Accounting and Operations Management; Leadership and People Management; and Strategy, Marketing and Internationalisation. Based on the existing literature, and in order to gain greater adherence and interest from the participants, three different courses were created that highlighted these skills.
Following the implementation of the courses, the participants were asked to respond to a number of questions about the course topics, management practices and aspirations. The results obtained from these regular surveys, together with administrative data on the performance of the companies concerned, indicate that SMEs whose managers participated in the management training programme have experienced an increase on average in their personal net income and also in the turnover and number of employees of the companies they run. These effects are more pronounced for SMEs whose managers received training in Finance, Accounting and Operations Management. The evidence shows that the changes observed in companies are due to the acquisition of knowledge by their managers, an improvement in management practices and an improvement in the aspirations of managers provided by the training programme. The results of the study suggest that empowering entrepreneurs can contribute to social mobility and inclusion.
5. References
BLOOM, N. and VAN REENEN, J. (2007): ‘Measuring and explaining management practices across firms and countries’, Quarterly Journal of Economics, 122(4), 1351-1408.
BLOOM, N. and VAN REENEN, J. (2010): ‘Why do management practices differ across firms and countries?’, Journal of Economic Perspectives, 24(1), 203-224.
CAMPOS, F., FRESE, GOLDSTEIN, M., IACOVONE, L., JOHNSON, H., MCKENZIE, D. and MENSMANN, M. (2017): ‘Teaching personal initiative beats traditional training in boosting small business in West Africa’, Science, 357(6357), 1287-1290.
MCKENZIE, D., WOODRUFF, C., BJORVATN, K., BRUHN, M., CAI, J., GONZALEZ-URIBE, J., QUINN, S., SONOBE, T. and VALDIVIA, M. (2023): ‘Training entrepreneurs’, VoxDevLit, 1(3), September 2023.
HIGUCHI, Y, NAM, V. and SONOBE, T. (2015): ‘Sustained impacts of Kaizen training’, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 120(C), 189-206.
MCKENZIE, D. and WOODRUFF, C. (2017): ‘Business practices in small firms in developing countries’, Management Science, 63(9), 2967-2981.
The study shows how families in Portugal and Spain have changed between
1991 and 2022, revealing social and economic transformations and trends
that help us understand how we live today and what might change in the
future.
This study, conducted with children and adolescents in Portugal, shows that
socioeconomic discrimination, even when not very visible, affects
well-being and academic aspirations. Discover the main conclusions and how
schools can promote more inclusive and equitable environments.
Did you know that only 23% of Portuguese adults show a strong willingness
to foster children? Find out in this article which factors could help
increase that number.
calls
Social Research Call 2025 (SRC 2025)
-
The Social Observatory of ”la Caixa” Foundation launches an open and competitive call to fund excellent, innovative and socially-oriented research projects. Proposals must generate new knowledge to broaden our understanding of the major challenges of today’s society, using quantitative methods.
The submission of proposals is structured through a two-stage procedure.
Submission period for proposals: January 7-22, 2025.
GOALS
This call will support excellent social research projects that rely on robust quantitative evidence and an original and innovative approach to provide robust information to better understand current and emerging social challenges.
Projects must be focused on Spain and/or Portugal.
GRANTS
Up to €115,000 per project and up to 24 months duration
WHO CAN APPLY?
The call is open to researchers who hold a PhD awarded more than 2 years before the call deadline as written in the Rules for participation (i.e. before 22nd January 2023).
The call is aimed at supporting proposals led by individual researchers of any nationality who conduct their research activity at a non-profit organization: public or private university or research centre legally based in Spain or Portugal.
CALENDAR
Information session:
You can view the information session here:
Phase 1 - Application period (short proposals)
Opening of the submission period for short proposals: 7th January 2025
Submission deadline: 22nd January 2025, at 2 pm CET
Evaluation of short proposals: February - March 2025
Phase 2 - Pre-selected proposals (full proposals)
Opening of submission period for full proposals: March 2025
Submission deadline: 23rd April 2025, at 13:00 CET
Evaluation phase 2.1: May 2025
Evaluation phase 2.2 (interviews): 18th-19th June 2025
Announcement of funded projects: July 2025
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
The submission of proposals is structured incrementally through a two-phase procedure. Applicants will first submit a 3-page short proposal describing the research idea and the social challenge(s) addressed, taking into consideration its novel and innovative aspects.
Applicants with successful short proposals will be invited to submit a full proposal of up to 15 pages providing detailed information on the project and the methodology. At this stage, applicants will also be required to submit a brief document regarding their research expertise and social and public sector expertise (1 page each).
Both proposals and the documents required must be submitted in English. All information regarding this programme will be exclusively available in English.
CONTACT
For any questions or queries please send an email to: [email protected]
Flash Call to support research projects based on quantitative surveys (FP25-1B)
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Resolution
The aim of the call was to support social science research projects that use quantitative survey data with the goal of studying the society as a whole in Portugal. Each selected project will receive up to 35,000 euros (including applicable taxes).
The selection process of the 88 received proposals was conducted by academic experts linked to the field of social sciences. The projects were evaluated without the evaluators knowing the authorship or affiliation of the concurrent researchers.
The projects finally selected were as follows:
Social impacts of longer lifespans: health care, financial security, and well-being in Portugal
Pedro Pita, Universidade Nova de Lisboa
Health Outcomes of Touristification and Gentrification in Portuguese Cities: A Nationwide Survey
ana Isabel Correia, Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto
Patterns, Predictors, and Profiles of Problematic Social Media Use among Portuguese Youth
Alberto Crego, Universidade do Minho
Poll Exposure and Response Shifts: Understanding Attitudes and Decision Effects
Patrício Costa, Universidade do Porto
Immigration and the Housing Affordability Crisis
João Pereira dos Santos, Research Unit on Complexity and Economics
INSPIRE - Investigating National Sentiments and Perceptions Influencing Robotics and AI Engagement
Paulo Nuno Vicente, Universidade Nova de Lisboa
Framing Inequality: How Competing Discourses Shape Beliefs, Status, and Social Change
Leonor Pereira da Costa, Cofac - Coop. de Formação e Animação Cultural, C.r.l - Universidade Lusófona
30 June 2025
calls
Flash call to support research projects on the Social impact of longer lifespans (FS24-1B)
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Resolution
The aim of the call was to support social science research projects that use quantitative survey data on childhood vulnerability factors in Portugal. Each selected project will receive up to 35,000 euros (including applicable taxes).
The selection process of the proposals received was conducted by academic experts linked to the field of social sciences. The projects were evaluated without the evaluators knowing the authorship or affiliation of the concurrent researchers.
The projects finally selected were as follows:
Taking action for future generations: Pro-environmental behaviors in an aging population
Sandra Godinho, ISCTE
Incarcerated Aging: how older prisoners characterize their needs and adjustment to imprisonment
Ana Rita Cruz, Universidade Lusófona
What changed? Experiences and expressions of ageism 15 years after the European Social Survey module
João Mariano, ISCTE - Centro de Valorização
Exposure to Urban Green Spaces are associated with better health and wellbeing in the elderly.
Susana Pedras, Fundação Minerva - Cultura
Boosting Healthy Longevity: Remote assessment of sociopsychological factors for cognitive health.
Cristiane da Anunciação, ISCTE - Centro de Valorização
The following researchers participated in the selection process:
Ayuso, Mercedes (Universitat de Barcelona)
Marcaletti, Francesco (Universidad de Zaragoza)
Spijker, Jeroen J.A. (Centre d'Estudis Demogràfics)
Guinjoan, Marc (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)
Marcenaro, Oscar (Universidad de Málaga)
Nigri, Andrea (Università degli Studi di Foggia)
Lisbon, 1 July 2024
calls
Flash Call for proposals to support quantitative survey research projects (FP24-2B)
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Resolution
The aim of the call was to support social science research projects that use quantitative survey data with the goal of studying the society as a whole in Portugal. Each selected project will receive up to 35,000 euros (including applicable taxes).
The selection process of the 48 received proposals was conducted by academic experts linked to the field of social sciences. The projects were evaluated without the evaluators knowing the authorship or affiliation of the concurrent researchers.
The projects finally selected were as follows:
"We Even Mixed!": Colonial Ideologies, Racism Denial and Social Exclusion in Contemporary Portugal.
Filipa Madeira, Instituto de Ciências Sociais da Universidade de Lisboa
Attitudes towards Artificial Intelligence
Pedro Magalhães, Instituto de Ciências Sociais da Universidade de Lisboa
Mapping Youth Work and Anti-work Attitudes and its Social Determinants
Joana Cabral, Universidade Lusófona
Exposure to cyberbullying and other harmful online content among youth in Portugal
Mariana Rodrigues, Universidade do Porto
A comprehensive approach to Understand how groups eNgage In social change Towards racial Equality
Rita Guerra, Associação ISCTE
The following researchers participated in the selection process:
Areia, Neide P. (Centro de Estudos Sociais da Universidade de Coimbra)
Arpino, Bruno (Universitat Pompeu Fabra)
Coronado Mataix, Eva (GAPS)
Dourgnon, Paul (Institut de recherche et documentation en économie de la santé (Irdes))
García González, Juan Manuel (Universidad Pablo de Olavide)
Goldberg, Andreas (Norwegian University of Science and Technology)
Guinjoan, Marc (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)
Maestripieri, Lara (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)
Poggio, Teresio (Università de Trento)
Quesada-Pallarès, Carla (Universidad de Manresa)
Sara, Emanuela (Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca)
Stewart, Kitty (London School of Economics)
Wood, Jonas (University of Antwerp)
20th of december 2024
calls
Social Research Call 2024 (SRC 2024)
-
The Social Observatory of ”la Caixa” Foundation launches an open and competitive call to fund excellent, innovative and socially-oriented research projects. Proposals must generate new knowledge to broaden our understanding of the major challenges of today’s society, using quantitative methods.
The submission of proposals is structured through a two-stage procedure.
Submission period for proposals: January 8-23, 2024.
GOALS
This call will support excellent social research projects that rely on robust quantitative evidence and an original and innovative approach to provide robust information to better understand current and emerging social challenges.
Projects must be focused on Portugal and/or Spain.
GRANTS
Up to €115,000 per project and up to 24 months duration.
WHO CAN APPLY?
The call is open to researchers who can demonstrate research independence and evidence of prior achievements. For this reason, applicants need to meet the following requirements:
Certify at least 1 scientific article published in Q1 journals according to the rankings Scimago Journal Rank (SJR) from Scopus or the Journal Citations Report (JCR) from Web of Science, in the last 5 years before the closure of the call. For the latter, only indexes Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) and Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) are considered.
Hold a PhD awarded more than 2 years before the call deadline as written in the Rules for participation (i.e. before 23rd January 2022).
The call is aimed at supporting proposals led by individual researchers of any nationality who conduct their research activity at a non-profit organization: public or private university or research centre legally based in Portugal or Spain.
CALENDAR
Information session:
Wednesday, 25th October at 10.00 a.m. (GMT). It will include a presentation of the call and a question and answer session. You can view the information session here:
Phase 1 - Application period (short proposals)
Opening of the submission period for short proposals: 8th January 2024
Submission deadline: 23rd January 2024, at 1 pm GMT
Evaluation of short proposals: February - March 2024
Phase 2 - Pre-selected proposals (full proposals)
Opening of submission period for full proposals: March 2024
Submission deadline: 24th April 2024, at 1 pm GMT
Evaluation phase 2.1: May 2024
Evaluation phase 2.2 (interviews): 19th-20th June 2024
Announcement of funded projects: July 2024
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
The submission of proposals is structured incrementally through a two-phase procedure. Applicants will first submit a 3-page short proposal describing the research idea and the social challenge(s) addressed, taking into consideration its novel and innovative aspects.
Applicants with successful short proposals will be invited to submit a full proposal of up to 15 pages providing detailed information on the project and the methodology. At this stage, applicants will also be required to submit a brief document regarding their research expertise and social and public sector expertise (1 page each).
Both proposals and the documents required must be submitted in English. All information regarding this programme will be exclusively available in English.
CONTACT
For any questions or queries please send an email to [email protected]
Proposals must be submitted through the online platform designed for this purpose (http://grants.lacaixafoundation.org/). Applications received via other channels will not be accepted.
Call to support research projects on the social impact of Climate Change (FS23-2B)
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Resolution
The aim of the call was to support social science research projects that use quantitative survey data on childhood vulnerability factors in Portugal. Each selected project will receive up to 30,000 euros (including applicable taxes).
The selection process of the proposals received was conducted by academic experts linked to the field of social sciences. The projects were evaluated without the evaluators knowing the authorship or affiliation of the concurrent researchers.
The projects finally selected were as follows:
Care4food: Choices and perceptions of Food security and Sustainability in a changing climate
Patrícia Abrantes, Instituto de Geografia da Universidade de Lisboa
Perceptions and Willingness to Accept Large Solar Farms in Rural Areas
Fernando Ascensão, FCiências.ID
Climate Anxiety: a mechanism for change?
Mariana Pinho, Universidade de Aveiro
How do we achieve sustainable eating behaviours to face Climate Change?
Filipa Pimenta, ISPA - Instituto Universitário
Children and young people behaviour for climate change
Fátima Bernardo, Instituto Superior Técnico
The following researchers participated in the selection process:
Paula Quinteiro (UAveiro)
Neide Areia (UCoimbra)
Diogo Guedes (UCoimbra)
Alexandra Lopes (UPorto)
Marc Guinjoan (UOC)
18 december 2023
calls
Call to support research projects on childhood and vulnerability
-
Resolution
The aim of the call was to support social science research projects that use quantitative survey data on childhood vulnerability factors in Portugal. Each selected project will receive up to 30,000 euros (including applicable taxes).
The selection process of the proposals received was conducted by academic experts linked to the field of social sciences. The projects were evaluated without the evaluators knowing the authorship or affiliation of the concurrent researchers.
The projects finally selected were as follows:
Status Fit: Multi-level Mapping of Children’s Vulnerability to Social Class-Based Discrimination
Leonor Pereira da Costa, Universidade Lusófona
How is the behavior of others able of shaping our own? Community violence and children's misconduct
Gilda Santos, Universidade do Porto
Protecting the children’s right to live in a family: insights to recruit foster families in Portugal
Eunice Magalhães, Iscte - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa
Protective Factors Against Antisocial Behavior in Socioeconomically Vulnerable Children and Youth
Margarida Santos, Universidade do Porto
Pain as a risk factor for vulnerability and social/educational development in children/adolescents
Maria Alexandra Ferreira, Universidade Católica Portuguesa
The following researchers participated in the selection process:
Susana Batista (CICS-NOVA)
Lara Ferreira (UAlgarve)
Vítor Sérgio Ferreira (CIS-ULisboa)
Alexandra Lopes (UPorto)
Alice Ramos (ULisboa)
13 June 2023
calls
Social Research Call 2021 (SRC 2021)
-
”la Caixa” Foundation launches an open and competitive call to fund excellent, innovative and socially-oriented research projects. Proposals must generate new knowledge to broaden our understanding of the major challenges of today’s society, using quantitative methods.
The submission of proposals is structured through a two-stage procedure:
Phase 1 (short proposals): February to May 2021 (Closed)
Phase 2 (full proposals): May to September 2021
GOALS
This call will support excellent social research projects that rely on robust quantitative evidence and an original and innovative approach to provide robust information to better understand current and emerging social challenges.
Projects must be focused on Spain and/or Portugal.
GRANTS
Up to €100,000 per project and up to 24 months duration.
WHO CAN APPLY?
The call is open to researchers who can demonstrate research independence and evidence of prior achievements. For this reason, applicants need to meet the following requirements:
Certify at least 1 scientific article published in Q1 journals according to the rankings Scimago Journal Rank (SJR) from Scopus or the Journal Citations Report (JCR) from Web of Science. For the latter, only indexes Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) and Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) are considered.
Hold a PhD awarded more than 2 years before the call deadline as written in the Rules for participation (i.e. before 24th February 2019).
The call is aimed at supporting proposals led by individual researchers of any nationality who conduct their research activity at a non-profit organization: public or private university or research centre legally based in Spain or Portugal.
TIMELINE
Phase 1 - Short proposals
Opening of the submission period for short proposals: 2nd February 2021
Submission deadline: 24th February 2021, at 2 pm CET
Evaluation of short proposals: March - May 2021
Phase 2 - Full proposals
Opening of submission period for full proposals: 13th May 2021
Submission deadline: 23rd June 2021, at 2 pm CET
Evaluation phase 2.1: July 2021
Evaluation phase 2.2 (interviews): 16th-17th September 2021
Announcement of funded projects: 30th September 2021
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
The submission of proposals is structured incrementally through a two-phase procedure. Applicants will first submit a 3-page short proposal describing the research idea and the social challenge(s) addressed, taking into consideration its novel and innovative aspects.
Applicants with successful short proposals will be invited to submit a full proposal of up to 15 pages providing detailed information on the project and the methodology. At this stage, applicants will also be required to submit a brief document regarding their research expertise and social and public sector expertise (1 page each).
Both proposals and the documents required must be submitted in English. All information regarding this programme will be exclusively available in English.
CONTACT
For any questions or queries please send an email to: [email protected]
RESULTS OF THE CALL
CALL DOCUMENTS
calls
Social Research Call 2023 (SRC 2023)
-
The Social Observatory of ”la Caixa” Foundation launches an open and competitive call to fund excellent, innovative and socially-oriented research projects. Proposals must generate new knowledge to broaden our understanding of the major challenges of today’s society, using quantitative methods.
The submission of proposals is structured through a two-stage procedure:
Submission period for proposals: January 9-24, 2023
GOALS
This call will support excellent social research projects that rely on robust quantitative evidence and an original and innovative approach to provide robust information to better understand current and emerging social challenges.
Projects must be focused on Portugal and/or Spain.
GRANTS
Up to €100,000 per project and up to 24 months duration.
WHO CAN APPLY?
The call is open to researchers who can demonstrate research independence and evidence of prior achievements. For this reason, applicants need to meet the following requirements:
Certify at least 1 scientific article published in Q1 journals according to the rankings Scimago Journal Rank (SJR) from Scopus or the Journal Citations Report (JCR) from Web of Science in the last 5 years before the closure of the call. For the latter, only indexes Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) and Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) are considered.
Hold a PhD awarded more than 2 years before the call deadline as written in the Rules for participation (i.e. before 24th January 2021).
The call is aimed at supporting proposals led by individual researchers of any nationality who conduct their research activity at a non-profit organization: public or private university or research centre legally based in Portugal or Spain.
TIMELINE
Information session: Social Research Call 2023
Wednesday, 30th November at 10.30 a.m. (CET). It will include a presentation of the call and a question and answer session. You can view the information session here:
Phase 1 - Application period (short proposals)
Opening of the submission period for short proposals: 9th January 2023
Submission deadline: 24th January 2023, at 2 pm CET
Evaluation of short proposals: February - March 2023
Phase 2 - Pre-selected proposals (full proposals)
Opening of submission period for full proposals: March 2023
Submission deadline: 25th April 2023, at 2 pm CET
Evaluation phase 2.1: May 2023
Evaluation phase 2.2 (interviews): 21st-22nd June 2023
Announcement of funded projects: July 2023
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
The submission of proposals is structured incrementally through a two-phase procedure. Applicants will first submit a 3-page short proposal describing the research idea and the social challenge(s) addressed, taking into consideration its novel and innovative aspects.
Applicants with successful short proposals will be invited to submit a full proposal of up to 15 pages providing detailed information on the project and the methodology. At this stage, applicants will also be required to submit a brief document regarding their research expertise and social and public sector expertise (1 page each).
Both proposals and the documents required must be submitted in English. All information regarding this programme will be exclusively available in English.
CONTACT
For any questions or queries please send an email to: [email protected]
Proposals must be submitted through the online platform designed for this purpose
calls
Call to support research projects about technology and society (FP21-1B)
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Resolution
The aim of the call was to support survey-based research that allows data to be obtained about technology and society in Portugal.
The call was open to survey-based research projects that could complete the entire path from hypotheses to conclusions within a maximum period of 8 months and present the results of the research in an outreach article to be published by the Social Observatory of the ”la Caixa” Foundation.
The selection process of the proposals received was conducted by academic experts linked to the field of social sciences. The projects were evaluated without the evaluators knowing the authorship or affiliation of the concurrent researchers.
The projects finally selected were as follows:
The impact of digitalization on job security and quality in the post-Covid era
Fernando Almeida, Instituto Superior Politécnico Gaya – ISPGAYA
A task-based assessment of the level of digitalization of different sectors of the Portuguese workforce
Luis Manso, Associação Laboratório Colaborativo para o Trabalho, Emprego e Proteção Social – LCTEPS
Loneliness and problematic use of social networking sites
Rui Costa, ISPA - Instituto Universitário
Teachers promoting digital literacy as a strategy for gender equality – starting from an early age
Ana Mouraz, Universidade Aberta (Portugal)
Teleworking and Health
Pedro Laires, Universidade Nova de Lisboa
The following researchers participated in the selection process:
Phase 1
Ana Alexandre – CICS.NOVA Maria João Leote de Carvalho – CICS.NOVA Isabel Dias – University of Porto Teresa Herdeiro - Aveiro University Sara Barros Araújo - Polytechnic institute of Porto Susana Batista - NOVA FCSH
Phase 2
Carl Bonner-Thompson – University of Brigthon Mattia Guidi – University of Siena Cláudia Custodio - Imperial College Alexandra Lopes - University of Porto Emla Fitzsimons - University College London
17 December 2021
calls
Call to support research projects on the social impact of covid-19 (LL20-3)
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Resolution
The aim of the call was to support research projects on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Portuguese society.
The call was open to research projects that could complete the entire path from hypotheses to conclusions within a maximum period of 6 months and present the results of the research in an outreach article to be published by the Social Observatory of ”la Caixa”.
The selection process of the proposals received was conducted by academic experts from the field of social sciences. The projects remained anonymous throughout the evaluation process.
The projects finally selected were as follows:
Mental health after infection: Effects of Covid-19 on survivors’ psychosocial functioning
Inês Trindade, CINEICC, University of Coimbra, Portugal
COVID-19 pandemic and early education services for 0-3 children: Educational and social impact
Sara Barros Araújo, Centre for Research and Innovation in Education (inED)
Whose Lives Should Be Saved? Patients’ Race/Ethnicity and Medical Rationing during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Ana Filipa Albuquerque Madeira, Instituto de Ciências Sociais da Universidade de Lisboa
Teaching and learning at distance in Portugal during COVID-19 times
Luís Miguel Rainho Catela Nunes, Universidade Nova de Lisboa - Nova School of Business and Economics
Measuring the poverty and inequality impact of Covid-19 and the cushioning effect of policies
Joana Silva, Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Evaluators:
António Fidalgo – Universidade Católica Portuguesa Clare Vaughan – Newcastle University Claudia Custodio – Imperial College London Eva Schliephake – Universidade Católica Portuguesa Francisco Queiró – Nova School of Business and Economics (Portugal) Geraldo Cerqueiro – Universidade Católica Portuguesa Ioana Chioveanu – University of Nottingham Jenny Smith – Social Investment Business (UK) João Ferrão – Universidade de Lisboa Jorge García-Hombrados – Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Marta Bucholc – Universität Bonn Marta Fraile – Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (Spain) Miguel Ferreira – Nova School of Business and Economics (Portugal) Teresa Molina-Millán – Universidad de Alicante
16 November 2020
calls
Call to support survey-based projects on the social impact of Covid-19 in Portugal
-
Resolution
The aim of the call was to support survey-based research that allows data to be obtained on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Portuguese society.
The call was open to research projects that could complete the entire path from hypotheses to conclusions within a maximum period of 6 months and present the results of the research in an outreach article to be published by the Social Observatory of ”la Caixa”.
The selection process of the proposals received was conducted by academic experts from the field of social sciences. The projects remained anonymous throughout the evaluation process.
The projects finally selected were as follows:
Health and well-being of the Portuguese citizens: impacts of the COVID-19
Lara Palmira Gomes Medeiros Nobre de Noronha e Ferreira, Universidade do Algarve, Portugal
“To take or not to take?”: Perceptions of the Portuguese Population on Covid-19 Vaccination
Maria Teresa Herdeiro, Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal
The social impact of Infection Prevention and Control on residential structure for the elderly during COVID-19 crisis
Sónia Gonçalves Pereira, Politécnico de Leiria, Portugal
The following researchers participated in the selection process:
Diana Bonfim - Banco de Portugal Lénia Mestrinho - Nova School of Business and Economics (Portugal) Miquel Requena - Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (Spain) Tim Riffe Max Planck - Institute for Demographic Research (Germany)
16 November 2020
calls
Call to support research projects on the social reality of young people (FP22_1B)
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Resolution
The aim of the call was to support research projects on the social reality of young people in Portugal, using quantitative survey data in social sciences.
The call was open to survey-based research projects that could complete the entire path from hypotheses to conclusions within a maximum period of 8 months and present the results of the research in an outreach article to be published by the Social Observatory of the ”la Caixa” Foundation.
The selection process of the proposals received was conducted by academic experts linked to the field of social sciences. The projects were evaluated without the evaluators knowing the authorship or affiliation of the concurrent researchers.
The projects finally selected were as follows:
Dropout in higher education: Psychosocial, economical and contextual correlates in post-pandemic era
Paula Paulino, Cofac - Coop. de Formação e Animação Cultural, C.r.l - Universidade Lusófona
Electoral Abstention among Portuguese young people: What explains this phenomenon?
Cláudia S. Costa, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança
BlindGame: a nationally representative survey on online gambling activities among young people.
Ana Farias, Cofac - Coop. de Formação e Animação Cultural, C.r.l - Universidade Lusófona
Youth Life Satisfaction & Well-Being:the role of mental health, health behaviour & social engagement
Lara Ferreira, Universidade do Algarve
Intergroup factors and bystanders’ helping behaviors on bias-based cyberbullying incidents
Raquel António, Iscte - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa
The following researchers participated in the selection process:
Catarina Delauney (U. Nova de Lisboa)
Isabel Dias (U. do Porto)
Paulo Dias (U. Católica Portuguesa)
Vera Duarte (U. do Minho)
Maria João Leote de Carvalho (U. Nova de Lisboa)
Alexandra Lopes (U. do Porto)
Liliana Paulos (U. do Algarve)
Alice Ramos (ICS Lisboa)
Virginia Sánchez (U. de Sevilla)
12 July 2022
calls
Call to support research projects on education and society (FP22_2B)
-
Resolution
The aim of the call was to support social science research projects that use quantitative survey data on education and society in Spain. Each funded project will receive up to 25,000 euros (excluding VAT).
The selection process of the proposals received was conducted by academic experts linked to the field of social sciences. The projects were evaluated without the evaluators knowing the authorship or affiliation of the concurrent researchers.
The projects finally selected were as follows:
Mind the Gap: Education/training and social (re)integration after imprisonment
Olga Cunha, Universidade Lusófona
How have pandemic-related events shaped family practices and children's language development?
Irene Cadime, Universidade do Minho
The impact of Multilingualism on children's academic and cognitive achievement
Montserrat Comesaña, Universidade do Minho
Seeing Black and White in school: Students’ skin color and teachers’ attitudes and recommendations
Rui Costa Lopes, Instituto de Ciências Sociais da Universidade de Lisboa
Young Cyber-Aware to build a resilient cybersecure society
Ana Ferreira, Universidade do Porto
The following researchers participated in the selection process:
Mafalda Ribeiro (EdThink)
Eva Coronado (GAPS)
Óscar Marcenaro (Universidad de Málaga)
Javier Cejudo (UCLM)
Liliana Paulos (IPP)
7 December 2022
calls
Social Research Call 2022 (SRC 2022)
-
The Social Observatory of ”la Caixa” Foundation launches an open and competitive call to fund excellent, innovative and socially-oriented research projects. Proposals must generate new knowledge to broaden our understanding of the major challenges of today’s society, using quantitative methods.
The submission of proposals is structured through a two-stage procedure:
Submission period for proposals: January 10-25, 2022
GOALS
This call will support excellent social research projects that rely on robust quantitative evidence and an original and innovative approach to provide robust information to better understand current and emerging social challenges.
Projects must be focused on Portugal and/or Spain.
GRANTS
Up to €100,000 per project and up to 24 months duration.
WHO CAN APPLY?
The call is open to researchers who can demonstrate research independence and evidence of prior achievements. For this reason, applicants need to meet the following requirements:
Certify at least 1 scientific article published in Q1 journals according to the rankings Scimago Journal Rank (SJR) from Scopus or the Journal Citations Report (JCR) from Web of Science in the last 5 years before the closure of the call. For the latter, only indexes Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) and Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) are considered.
Hold a PhD awarded more than 2 years before the call deadline as written in the Rules for participation (i.e. before 25th January 2020).
The call is aimed at supporting proposals led by individual researchers of any nationality who conduct their research activity at a non-profit organization: public or private university or research centre legally based in Spain or Portugal.
TIMELINE
Phase 1 - Application period (short proposals)
Opening of the submission period for short proposals: 10th January 2022
Submission deadline: 25th January 2022, at 2 pm CET
Evaluation of short proposals: February - March 2022
Phase 2 - Pre-selected Proposals (full proposals)
Opening of submission period for full proposals: March 2022
Submission deadline: 26th April 2022, at 2 pm CET
Evaluation phase 2.1: May 2022
Evaluation phase 2.2 (interviews): 22nd-23rd June 2022
Announcement of funded projects: July 2022
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
The submission of proposals is structured incrementally through a two-phase procedure. Applicants will first submit a 3-page short proposal describing the research idea and the social challenge(s) addressed, taking into consideration its novel and innovative aspects.
Applicants with successful short proposals will be invited to submit a full proposal of up to 15 pages providing detailed information on the project and the methodology. At this stage, applicants will also be required to submit a brief document regarding their research expertise and social and public sector expertise (1 page each).
Both proposals and the documents required must be submitted in English. All information regarding this programme will be exclusively available in English.
CONTACT
For any questions or queries please send an email to: [email protected]
